RRT Delivers Nearly Half a Million Dollars in Aid to Jamaica
In the wake of Hurricane Melissa’s devastating impact across Jamaica, RRT has mobilized local and international volunteers to deliver life-saving aid to thousands of affected families.
Working in close partnership with Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) and Menards, RRT has donated nearly $500,000 USD in emergency relief, including meals, clean water, food boxes, medical supplies, and emergency equipment.
Since October 29, the RRT team has served over 3,170 hot meals, distributed 1,196 family food boxes, and handed thousands of bottles of water to impacted communities. Relief operations were carried out by a coordinated effort of dozens of volunteers, featuring RRT team members from across Canada and the US, as well as local volunteers from Kingston and Mandeville, Jamaica.
To overcome severe communication blackouts in remote areas, RRT deployed Starlink satellite systems, restoring vital internet access in towns that had been entirely cut off. In some cases, Starlink enabled the first damage assessments to be reported to the Jamaican government—connecting local mayors and emergency coordinators to national response networks for the first time post-storm.
With air and sea shipments facilitated by GEM, cargo flights and containers were dispatched from North America within days of the hurricane. These included generators (34), light towers (9), air mattresses (1,101), tarps (1,049), and hundreds of other emergency items, many of which have now been distributed across Jamaica. A third shipment containing 600 Essential Kits—each including a tarp and air mattress—is scheduled to arrive within the next week.
“This response has been one of our most extensive in the Caribbean to date. We’ve had teams on the ground every day since the storm hit, serving meals, assembling food boxes, and distributing supplies in partnership with local officials. It’s a privilege to work with GEM and Menards, whose contributions have made this scale of response possible.”
Wes Macdonald, Operations Manager, RRT North America.
Menards, one of the leading home improvement retailers in the U.S., partnered with RRT by supplying emergency materials at near cost, helping stretch every donation dollar to reach more people in need.
RRT has worked closely with Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) to ensure aid is reaching those most affected, including a recent meal service at ODPEM headquarters in Kingston.
