Food For The Poor Mobilizes Massive Response to Hurricane Melissa
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Oct. 31, 2025) – Food For The Poor (FFTP) is mounting a comprehensive relief effort in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, which made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday with winds of up to 185 mph.
FFTP’s Emergency Operations Centers in both its Coconut Creek headquarters and Spanish Town, Jamaica, are fully activated and coordinating a round-the-clock response to deliver food, water, hygiene items, medical aid, and home repair materials to affected families.
“This isn’t something that ends in a couple of days. Entire communities have been uprooted,” said FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine. “We’ve been in Jamaica for 42 years for a reason. We are there for the long run. We will shift from short-term relief to long-term stabilization, including repairing and rebuilding homes and restoring livelihoods.”
Relief Operations Underway
• Pre-positioned supplies across nearly all Jamaican parishes enabled immediate distributions once the storm passed.
• The Spanish Town warehouse remains secure, powered, and operating 24/7 to coordinate shipments to hardest-hit areas such as Clarendon and St. Elizabeth.
• Three containers of relief items including 20,000 hygiene kits from MAP International, disaster relief kits, mattresses, blankets and cleaning supplies were readied for departure to Jamaica on Friday, with an air shipment of eight pallets of relief supplies picked up from the charity’s Coconut Creek warehouse on Wednesday.
• 32 containers with food, hygiene, and building supplies en route to Kingston.
• Eight pallets of emergency supplies sent via air cargo through LIFT, a nonprofit logistics partner
• Assessments in Haiti and the Dominican Republic are underway; emergency supplies are already staged with church partners and local authorities.
• FFTP has designated four disaster preparedness kits and additional relief supplies specifically for Haiti — equivalent to about 1,000 family kits, roughly a 20-pallet container.
• Order of Malta began distribution of relief kits for 250 families from our pre-positioned items supporting the community of La Haina in Dominican Republic.
Partner Network Expanding Impact
FFTP’s rapid response is being strengthened through key collaborations with trusted partners, including:
• World Central Kitchen – food support and cooking supplies
• Water Mission – clean water purification systems
• AmeriCares – medical supplies
• Airlink / Amerijet – air transport logistics
• Cedella Marley & the Bob & Rita Marley Foundation – recovery support
• Wisynco – local logistics and distribution
• Matthew 25: Ministries, Midwest Mission, MAP International, Brother’s Brother Foundation, Heart to Heart International, and Harvest Time – donated hygiene kits, mattresses, bedding, tarps, and other essential goods.
“We exist to serve those in extreme poverty. When disaster strikes, they are always the ones who suffer the most,” Raine said. “Imagine waking up to find that everything you own has been destroyed — no shelter, no food, no water. People depend on organizations like Food For The Poor, and we will be there to help them survive.”
Community & Volunteer Engagement
A public donation drive is underway at FFTP’s Coconut Creek warehouse (6401 Lyons Rd., Coconut Creek, Fla.), where essential items such as hygiene supplies, diapers, tarps, blankets, and children’s school and art supplies are being accepted. Volunteers will soon assemble additional relief kits once new shipments arrive.
“Those who are packing these hygiene kits are performing a tremendous act of service,” Raine added. “Coming together to help those in need is a powerful expression of Christian stewardship.”
Community & City Support
FFTP is partnering with the City of Miramar in Broward County, Fla., and the Jamaican Consul General to rally community support for Jamaica in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. Together, they are establishing collection sites for essential supplies, encouraging financial donations, and raising awareness about long-term recovery needs, uniting South Florida in a show of solidarity during this critical time.
Lauderhill Mayor Denise Grant, Bishop Christopher Lewis of Christian Community Church of God of Fort Lauderdale, and other community leaders visited the organization’s warehouse in Coconut Creek on Wednesday and received 600 collection boxes to fill with essential items for Jamaica and Haiti.
Recognized for Accountability
FFTP has been recognized by Charity Navigator and the Wise Giving Alliance/Better Business Bureau as one of the highly rated, vetted charities responding to Hurricane Melissa.
How to Help
Cash donations are encouraged to expedite relief and enable in-country purchasing. Donate at: foodforthepoor.org/melissa
About Food For The Poor
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the United States, is committed to facilitating paths out of poverty and transforming lives. As an interdenominational Christian ministry, we help families across Latin America and the Caribbean. Our efforts span urgent humanitarian relief and long-term development – from emergency aid and hunger alleviation to education, housing, and economic empowerment. We follow a distinctive approach that integrates faith, multi-sector strategies, and trusted partnerships. Whenever possible, we strive to work at the community level, partnering with local leaders and residents to co-create sustainable solutions that address the multi-dimensional nature of poverty. For more information, please visit foodforthepoor.org.
Michael Turnbell
Communications
954-471-0928
[email protected]
