KINGSTON, Jamaica — Two Kingston entrepreneurs swapped their office routines for flooded roads last week, trekking into Reading District, St Elizabeth, to deliver food, water and essential supplies to residents left stranded after Hurricane Melissa.

Managing Director of Screenshot Interactive, Andrew Brown and Managing Partner of Chilitos Jamexican, Chris Boxe, journeyed to the isolated community and nearby Lacovia shelter, determined to bring relief where floodwaters had cut off access.

The long-time friends decided to act after learning that Reading District, the hometown of DJ Anash, had been completely marooned, leaving residents without food or assistance. With vehicles unable to pass, the pair hiked nearly two miles each way, making multiple trips on foot to complete their deliveries.

“It’s one thing to hear that a community is cut off, but being there and walking through it is something else,” Brown reflected. “Seeing how much people are enduring, and still staying positive, really puts things in perspective.”

Boxe described the journey as both challenging and humbling.

“The reality of it all can feel heavy after something like this,” said Boxe. “You realise you can’t do everything for everyone, but you can do something for someone. That mindset, I think, is part of what keeps us going.”

Meanwhile, DJ Anash has launched a community relief drive to continue supporting recovery in Reading and the surrounding areas.

“My family and everyone else here have been greatly affected,” she said. “It only made sense to start this initiative to rebuild what was destroyed.”

She is appealing for donations of non-perishable food, bottled water, flashlights, feminine products, medical supplies, and building materials. Collection points have been established at KYM Gym (2½ Kensington Ave), Ragamuffin Café (74 Lady Musgrave Road), Tempo Café (19 Roosevelt Ave), and Veggie Campus (82 Lady Musgrave Road).

“Every mickle mek a muckle,” she shared. “Anything you have will do, one by one, step by step.”

While Black River has begun its recovery, smaller nearby communities like Reading remain flooded and inaccessible by road. Relief teams continue to clear debris and reopen vital routes as recovery efforts intensify across the parish.