Special Feature: My mother’s voice broke: We built our own solution

I have spent my career helping people find the words to speak their truth, but there are some moments when language fails.

When Hurricane Melissa swept through Western Jamaica, it washed away stability, identity, and the simple comfort of knowing tomorrow would be okay.

For me, the turning point was personal. It arrived on a phone call with my mother. Her voice, usually strong and clear, cracked when she delivered the devastating news, “Our family lost everything.” That conversation stayed with me. I felt the weight of that loss; the cumulative, compounding grief that descends when the items that define your life, your home, your memories, are simply gone.

In that profound moment of helplessness, I realized that sympathy alone was useless. I reached out to Chef Roger Mooking, and together, we understood a deep, urgent truth: we couldn’t wait for someone else to fix this. We had to build the solution ourselves, rooted in cultural responsibility and care.

“Our family lost everything.”

That is how the “Shirt Off My Back” Initiative was born. It is a community-to-community movement grounded in accountability, trust, and cultural responsibility. We knew that for the diaspora community, and for our families in Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth, and the surrounding rural communities, trust had to be the cornerstone of our operations.

We have heard the stories before: the barrels that never arrive, the resources that get diverted. We made a resolute promise to circumvent that systemic failure. Our entire approach is built on a framework of transparency and dignity.

We are leveraging decades of trusted networks in the Caribbean. Our logistics strategy relies on established pipelines. One through the Pentecostal Church of God’s mission network and partners like Townhead Baptist Church, which provide 44 verified distribution points in Jamaica. This direct channel allows us to bypass political interference and ensures that every item, from quality clothing and hygiene kits to solar lights and construction supplies, reaches the intended recipient: the vulnerable families rebuilding their lives.

We are also happy to be collaborating with Chef Brian Lumley and his Ubuntu Outreach™ initiative which represents a critical new distribution partnership enhancing the mission to reach Jamaica’s most vulnerable communities.

Chef Lumley is an award-winning and globally recognized chef, educator, and nation-builder who has dedicated his career to elevating Jamaica’s rich cuisine. However, his efforts have now channeled into social impact through Ubuntu Outreach™ following Hurricane Melissa’s devastation. Rooted in the African philosophy of Ubuntu, meaning “I am because you are,” the initiative is designed to bring hope, dignity, and essential support to communities that are often overlooked by larger relief organizations due to poor road infrastructure and limited connectivity, particularly those living further inland and away from the coast.

Ubuntu Outreach is uniquely positioned to help the initiative go where others cannot, focusing on hard-to-reach communities that face higher risk and slower recovery, ensuring that no Jamaican, especially women and children, gets left behind.

Chef Lumley operates with a structured, sustainable model, with relief deliveries scheduled bi-weekly and a strong commitment to operating with excellence and integrity, reflecting his belief that “food is identity, memory, and legacy” and extending his brand promise, “Crafted with precision. Served with purpose,” to this humanitarian work

We are so thankful that Roger Mooking and Donovan Bailey stepped up to make this happen. They have been instrumental in rallying support and inspiring action as proud ambassadors for the Shirt Off My Back Initiative. Their leadership and commitment have helped amplify our message, and we are deeply grateful for the incredible outpouring from the community.

It is because of the “Shirt Off My Back” Initiative that we are now able to move into our sustainable project, “Hear 2 Help Jamaica,” focused on supporting Jamaica as it builds back stronger over the next six months. This timeline aligns with the initiative’s overall Six-Month Response Strategy, which aims to move from emergency response (December 2025) through stabilization (Jan–Feb 2026) to structured community rebuilding (March–April 2026) and sustainability (May–June 2026).

“Our goal is measured dignity.”

We recognize that recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. Our commitment to the Caribbean community is mapped out over a sustained six-month plan, starting with our first shipment to Jamaica in early December.

Phase 1 focuses on rapid deployment of essentials to Townhead and Burntsavannah. Phase 2 transitions to stabilization, gathering testimonials and beginning small-scale household stabilization support. By Phase 3 (March–April), we move from basic relief to structured community rebuilding, including targeted support for home and livelihood recovery, and community micro-projects.

This commitment means that when you give, you are not only offering immediate relief, but you are investing in the long-term resilience and stability of our people. Every dollar you contribute is tracked, reported, and directly connected to a measurable rebuilding outcome in Western Jamaica. You will see what you made possible.

For the Caribbean community, this initiative is an act of reclaiming power, a demonstration that when we mobilize our cultural roots, our expertise, and our shared compassion, we can deliver tangible, dignified change for the people we love.

This campaign is about dignity, transparency, and collective impact. It is the steady heartbeat behind Jamaica’s recovery