How to Support Families in Jamaica After Hurricane Melissa

Hurricane Melissa has deeply affected communities across Jamaica—homes have been damaged, access to daily essentials disrupted, and many families are facing uncertainty in the weeks ahead. During times like these, the kindness and compassion of others can bring hope. If you’re looking for meaningful ways to support those impacted, here are trusted options to help make a difference.

Support Relief Efforts Through Trusted Organizations

If you're able to donate, here are credible relief organizations currently assisting Jamaica with response and recovery efforts. Each plays a unique role, so you can choose the type of support that aligns with your values.

Jamaica Red Cross (via the IFRC)

The Jamaica Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are on the ground providing immediate emergency assistance to families most affected by Hurricane Melissa. Their teams are distributing relief kits, offering first aid and medical support, setting up temporary shelters, and helping households begin the difficult process of rebuilding. Their long-standing presence in Jamaica ensures donations directly support local communities with culturally informed aid.

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GiveDirectly

If you believe in empowering families to decide what they need most, GiveDirectly is a strong option. The organization is providing direct cash transfers to impacted Jamaican households, allowing families to purchase essentials such as food, medicine, home repairs, transportation, clothing, or school supplies for their children. This approach restores dignity, supports the local economy, and ensures that help reaches people quickly and without barriers.

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Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

CRS is delivering urgent humanitarian support to communities heavily affected by the hurricane. Their teams are distributing emergency food, clean drinking water, hygiene kits, and essential household supplies for families in Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica. Beyond the immediate crisis, CRS is known for long-term recovery efforts, including shelter rebuilding, livelihood restoration, and community resilience programs. Donating to CRS helps support both short-term relief and long-term healing.

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Global Empowerment Mission (GEM)

Global Empowerment Mission is actively mobilizing relief efforts for Jamaica, providing emergency aid boxes, essential supplies, and logistical support to the hardest-hit regions. GEM works closely with local partners to ensure resources reach families rapidly and efficiently. In addition to immediate relief, they support rebuilding efforts and long-term recovery, focusing on restoring stability and self-sufficiency for affected communities.

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Project Hope

Project HOPE focuses on the health and well-being of impacted families. Their response to Hurricane Melissa includes delivering medical supplies, supporting local healthcare systems, and offering humanitarian aid to vulnerable communities. By strengthening medical infrastructure and addressing health-related needs, Project HOPE provides both immediate care and long-term stability to families coping with trauma, injury, and loss.

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Samaritan's Purse

Samaritan’s Purse is helping communities with essential items that support basic living conditions. Their relief efforts include clean water filtration systems, hygiene kits, solar lights, tarps, and materials for temporary shelter. These supplies help improve safety, sanitation, and comfort for families who have lost or damaged their homes and belongings. As of 5 November, Samaritan's Purse has airlifted their Emergency Field Hospital to Black River, Jamaica. They have set up over 30 intensive care beds, an operating room, an intensive care unit, an emergency room, an obstetric ward, a laboratory, a pharmacy, and a blood bank. 

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The Salvation Army

With a long history of serving Caribbean communities, The Salvation Army is providing on-the-ground support, including food distribution, clothing, and emergency services. Their teams are helping coordinate community relief, offering spiritual and emotional care, and supplying families with daily necessities. Their presence across Jamaica and Haiti allows them to quickly assist neighborhoods in need, particularly vulnerable and low-income communities.

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When choosing where to donate, consider what kind of support matters most to you—immediate emergency relief, emotional and spiritual care, health services, or long-term rebuilding and recovery. Every contribution—big or small—helps provide comfort, dignity, and hope to families navigating the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

Sending Supplies to Loved Ones In Jamaica

For many, contributing means sending essentials directly to family and friends. Care packages can make an immediate difference for households that may still be without reliable access to basic goods.

Recommended items to send:

• Non-perishable food items
• Toiletries and hygiene products
• Baby care essentials (diapers and wipes)
• Flashlights, batteries, candles, and power banks
• First-aid kits and over-the-counter medicines
• Clothing, bedding, and personal care items
• School and learning materials for children

Shipping Updates to Jamaica After Hurricane Melissa

DHL continues to support shipments to Jamaica and has been involved in humanitarian logistics efforts in coordination with global partners, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to assist with relief supply movement during the Hurricane Melissa response.

FedEx has provided humanitarian support to Jamaica by transporting critical supplies—such as medical kits and hygiene products—through partnerships with organizations like Direct Relief, International Medical Corps, and Heart to Heart International.

Service availability has varied across locations, with Kingston service previously resumed and Montego Bay experiencing temporary suspension after the storm.

A Message of Solidarity

Whether you choose to donate, send care packages, or amplify awareness, your support contributes to the recovery and resilience of Jamaica’s communities. In moments like these, global connection matters — every act of kindness helps.

Making It Easier for Members to Send Essential Supplies

Recovery will take time, and continued support will be essential in the weeks and months ahead. For members who choose to send care packages to Jamaica, MyUS has lowered shipping rates to the island by 30–60% through the end of the year to help make sending essential supplies more accessible.

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