With more families increasingly having to stay home since the first reported case of COVID-19 in Jamaica, New Fortress Energy has announced that it is providing care packages valued at J$3.2 million to vulnerable families in Old Harbour Bay, St. Catherine and the Hayes Refinery Communities in Clarendon, where it operates its LNG plants.

The initiative is being done in partnership with global NGO, Food For the Poor, to source, package and deliver the care packages.

Verona Carter, VP of Public Affairs for New Fortress Energy, said the company is elated to be helping those who are most vulnerable during this time.

“We are very pleased to partner with Food for the Poor to bring well needed help to the most vulnerable as we go through this global crisis together. With people being laid off from their jobs and students having to stay home, there are many families who are no longer able to find the resources to feed themselves and their families on a daily basis,” she said.

As an important partner in the country’s transition to natural gas, New

Fortress Energy is part of the fabric of the communities here in Jamaica; and

as such, helping communities grow and develop is central to the vision of its

Chairman and CEO, Wes Edens, who is committed to the social and economic

development of Jamaica.

For their part, Andrew Mahfood, Chairman at Food for the Poor, said: “When New Fortress Energy  Foundation reached out to us to partner with them in sourcing the items, package and deliver them to the vulnerable families, it was an immediate yes for us.”

At a time like this, it’s crucial for us to come together to help those in need as we all face this global pandemic. Food and medicine are critical items for families and our team at Food For the Poor is welcoming donations, small and large, so we can package, with our own donations and bring hope to our brothers and sisters, as we weather the next few months of this terrible virus,”

The care packages consist of rice, cornmeal, beans, cooking oil, canned foods, drinking water, juice, crackers and personal care items. These will be delivered on a bi-monthly basis by Food For the Poor to the families across the two communities. In the first set of deliveries, which were done on Wednesday March 25, the energy company also included toys for children.