WCK Scales Up Relief Efforts Across Jamaica After Hurricane Melissa
World Central Kitchen (WCK) is expanding operations across western Jamaica to support families impacted by Hurricane Melissa. Since the storm made landfall as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, our teams have served nearly 400,000 meals to communities across the island.
Melissa brought destructive winds, torrential rain, and widespread flooding, cutting power to much of Jamaica and isolating entire towns. To meet the urgent need, we established two large-capacity Field Kitchens—one in Montego Bay and another in Negril. With support from the Sandals Foundation, we transformed a convention center in Montego Bay into a fully operational kitchen capable of producing tens of thousands of meals daily. Working alongside more than 30 restaurant partners, we are now providing nearly 20,000 hot meals each day across the hardest-hit parishes: Hanover, St. James, Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, Manchester, Clarendon, and Trelawny.
In western Jamaica’s hillside communities, where heavy rain continues to make access difficult, our teams are using every means available—by land and air—to deliver meals. In Bluefields, Belmont, and Mearnsville, we’re supporting displaced families, including many sheltering in what remains of a primary school. In nearby Savanna-la-Mar, where power outages lasted for days, we delivered patties, fruit, and water by helicopter.
We’re also making door-to-door deliveries of hot meals and water across western Jamaica to residents unable to leave their homes. 80-year-old Maurice, a resident of Brighton in Westmoreland Parish, lost the roof of his home during the storm. Due to his disabilities, he is unable to reach our distribution sites to pick up meals. Karen, a member of our Community Outreach team, makes sure to deliver a hot meal and water to his home every day since we arrived in Brighton. These door-to-door deliveries are a lifeline to residents like Maurice, so we’re doing everything we can to provide them with the support they need.
Local leadership is at the heart of this response. Working hand in hand with Jamaican chefs, restaurant owners, and volunteers, we’re preparing comforting dishes like traditional patties, stewed chicken, and fresh-caught fish. Together, we’re ensuring nourishing food reaches families rebuilding after the storm.
