When a natural disaster of Hurricane Melissa’s devastating magnitude strikes, it can be difficult to know how best to help: The Category 5 hurricane has already killed at least 25 people in Haiti, three people in Jamaica, and one in the Dominican Republic, causing major infrastructural damage after making landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday and moving off Cuba’s northern coast on Wednesday morning. That day, Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaica’s information minister, briefed The New York Times on the state of things on the island, saying: “We know that it’s western Jamaica that has the brunt of the impact, and central Jamaica had a lot of damage, a lot of flooding.”
Below, find five organizations working tirelessly to provide assistance to those displaced or otherwise affected by Hurricane Melissa—all of which are currently taking donations.
The World Food Programme, which was founded in 1961 as a joint United Nations and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) effort to provide food and other relief in emergencies worldwide, is currently “working with partners to coordinate logistics, cash, and emergency supplies across Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.” WFP is airlifting 2,000 emergency food kits to Jamaica from Barbados, which WFP’s Caribbean Multi-Country Office head Brian Bogart estimates is “enough to assist around 6,000 people for 10 days.”
Established in 1985, this Kingston-based nonprofit helped female farmers in Jamaica rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Beryl in 2024, and it’s no less motivated to assist with storm relief in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.
Chef José Andrés and his wife Patricia’s World Central Kitchen Relief Team touched down in Jamaica before Hurricane Melissa made landfall this week, with a team member saying in a statement: “WCK has already mobilized, pre-deploying teams to assist in recovery efforts. We’re coordinating with local restaurant partners to ensure they can serve meals once the hurricane passes.”
This global humanitarian organization that provides free airlift and logistical solutions to nonprofit partners is working with airlines including American and United to send aid and get first responders to Jamaica as seamlessly as possible amid widespread airport closures. In addition to cash donations, Airlink is also accepting donations of frequent-flyer miles.
This health-focused nonprofit, founded in 1979, is deploying emergency resources to Jamaica and offering assistance to partner organizations in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. As of now, emergency donations to the organization are being matched 500%.
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