Miramar joins Food for the Poor to send aid to storm-ravaged Jamaica. How to help
The City of Miramar is expanding its donation efforts by partnering with Food for the Poor to help those affected by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. The Category 5 storm made landfall on the west side of the island on Tuesday, Oct. 28, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.
On Thursday, Miramar officials held a news conference at City Hall with Food for the Poor, Consul General of Jamaica Oliver Mair, Mayor Wayne M. Messam and two city commissioners to announce more relief efforts for the island.
Food for the Poor Executive Vice President Mark Khouri detailed the partnership between the city, the Consul General of Jamaica and his organization. The non-profit serves multiple Caribbean countries, including Jamaica.
Khouri said they pre-positioned 250 disaster kits before the storm made landfall and have another 1,000 ready to be sent.
The existing collection centers in Miramar will be crucial to Food for the Poor’s work, he said.
“These items are going to be critical in helping the relief effort. We are very good at logistics … so we’ll be able to collect these items, clear them into customs and get them into the hands of the people that need them,” Khouri said.
“There’s going to be a lot of people who are affected, their homes totally devastated. We’re going to need funds to be able to respond to that.”
He emphasized that cash donations are the most important contribution.
Consul General of Jamaica Oliver Mair said that in the aftermath of the storm, Norman Manley and Sangster International airports are open to relief planes, and that Food for the Poor has been helpful with logistics.
“We’re resilient, we’re strong, we’ll overcome, but we need support at this time,” Mair said.
Hurricane Melissa was the strongest storm to hit the island since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, with peak winds at 185 miles per hour.
Officials say more casualties are expected and power outages remain an issue.
“It will be years before the country is fully restored,” Messam said.
During the news conference, Miramar Commissioner Maxwell Chambers said that he hasn’t heard from his family in Clarendon, Jamaica, since Hurricane Melissa made landfall.
“I’m just concerned, my mother’s extremely worried,” he told the Miramar News. “We just want to know. If we hear something, we’ll be OK.”
Residents can donate non-perishable food, bottled water, hygiene and medical supplies, baby products and more at the following Miramar Fire Rescue stations:
- Fire Station 19: 6700 Miramar Pkwy.
- Fire Station 70: 9001 Miramar Pkwy.
- Fire Station 107: 11811 Miramar Pkwy.
- Fire Station 84: 14801 SW 27th St.
- Fire Station 100: 2800 SW 184th Ave.
Donations will be transferred to the regional coordination center managed by Food for the Poor. Supporters can also make secure online donations on the City of Miramar website.
This story was originally published October 30, 2025 at 2:44 PM.
