World Central Kitchen serves 6.6 million meals in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness expressed his gratitude to World Central Kitchen (WCK) for their extensive support to communities affected by Hurricane Melissa, highlighting the humanitarian organization’s commitment to both nourishment and cultural care.

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In an Instagram post, Holness wrote, “I met with World Central Kitchen to thank them for their support to Jamaica and our people. Over 75 days, nearly 700 persons worked daily to prepare and distribute approximately 6.6 million meals. A significant part of this effort involved Jamaicans cooking for Jamaicans. The food was prepared with care and respect for our culture, providing nourishment and also comfort and dignity to families affected by hurricane Melissa. My sincere appreciation to World Central Kitchen for their partnership, professionalism, and care.”

During a recent meeting with Holness, a WCK representative praised the resilience and solidarity of Jamaicans in the aftermath of the hurricane. “Jamaica has been very good to us and I think we try our best to give back as much as we’re given,” they said. “It was 75 days, almost 700 people working with us daily. We did around 6.6 million meals. In total, 4 million meals cooked just out of Mo’ Bay… we have seen over these days that we’ve been here, a resilience of the Jamaican people. At the end, it was almost 500 people from Jamaica cooking for Jamaicans.”

The representative added that beyond the sheer number of meals, the collaboration demonstrated the country’s unity. “We have been in other places with Cat5 hurricanes and we have never seen people with such solidarity between each other. There was no looting. Security-wise, the situation was very stable when we got here. Every day that we moved, we moved around very good… everybody was trying to cooperate.”

PM Holness emphasized that the impact of WCK’s work extended beyond satisfying hunger. “The measure of the success is that I have not heard one complaint about your meals. As Jamaicans, we’re very particular about our food. It has to be prepared in a particular way and taste in a particular way. It was quite obvious that, aside from the spices and meal selection, a lot of love and care went into the preparation. You provided them not just with a meal, but with a meal with dignity, supporting both the physical and emotional needs of those affected.”

Hurricane Melissa’s aftermath left thousands of Jamaicans in need of immediate assistance, and the partnership between WCK and local communities proved pivotal in meeting those needs while respecting local culinary traditions.