World Central Kitchen to Provide 5000 Meals Per Day to St. James Communities

World Central Kitchen is partnering with the St. James Municipal Corporation to provide hot meals to residents impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon, told JIS News that up to 5,000 meals per day will be provided to the most impacted communities.

“We have some international commitment to support our relief exercise, and one is from the [World Central Kitchen] group, which will be stationed in Montego Bay providing meals daily,” he said.

He noted that a site visit was done to identify the most suitable location for the preparation and distribution of the meals.

Mayor Vernon told JIS News that relief efforts are being carried out on a phased basis, beginning with the most severely impacted areas.

“We understand the plight of the people and have decided that the communities [that experienced severe flooding] Catherine Hall and West Green, we are treating them with a little bit more priority because of the situation they are faced with,” he said.

“Once we have completed the West Green and Catherine Hall belt, then we are moving into the other areas immediately,” the Mayor said, noting that communities such as Canterbury, William Street, and Love Lane, as well as rural and suburban sections of the parish, will receive assistance.

Mayor Vernon said the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) has delivered trailers containing supplies to the parish for distribution, and teams are working to clear blocked roads and restore access to communities so that they can receive assistance.

“We really understand what they are going through, and we have a responsibility to respond to the people,” he said.