KINGSTON, Jamaica — TOTALEnergies Jamaica’s donation of 1,884 solar lamps to Food For The Poor (FFTP) and the Salvation Army was met with gratitude last Friday at the petroleum-marketing company’s Ocean Boulevard headquarters in downtown Kingston.

Marsha Burrell-Rose, marketing and public relations manager at Food For The Poor, acknowledged the Jamaica Public Service’s post-Hurricane Melissa efforts to restore electricity but noted that some communities remain without power and telecommunications.

“Some communities are so far up in the hills that they are still without power and telecommunications services,” she said.

“However, these solar lamps will definitely help us because, if they don’t have anything, they do have sunlight in abundance,” Burrell-Rose added, thanking TotalEnergies for its donation of 1,164 lamps and the support “we have been getting from all over the world”.

Colonel Edward Lyons, chief secretary in charge of Caribbean territorial emergency disaster services at the Salvation Army, said the donation of 720 solar lamps to his organisation fulfilled a critical need.

“People have been calling for these same lamps for a long time after seeing other persons receiving them from relatives overseas. They are very scarce. It’s the first time this amount has ever been made available locally,” Lyons said.

“Many people can’t afford generators. These 720 lamps will solve multiple problems. It appears to be a lot but we will still have to be very selective in how we effectively distribute them,” he noted.

Lyons’ comments resonated with TotalEnergies senior management, including Howard Henry, manager of retail, shops, foods and services, and Ulanda Graham, human resources director, who said the company conducted due diligence in carefully selecting the charitable organisations it partnered with.

Burrell-Rose described FFTP as a “trusted charity of 43 years started in Jamaica, spreading to 17 other countries, with a track record of excellence in service”.

“We don’t just give away items. We capture data, monitor and evaluate. We believe in showing people how we are spending their money,” she emphasised.

TotalEnergies’ post-Melissa charitable efforts began on November 13 with the delivery of 700 care packages by staff members in Back River, St Elizabeth.

This was followed by donations of US$10,000 to the Jamaica Red Cross and US$20,000 to Food For The Poor in December.

Meanwhile, TotalEnergies Jamaica’s managing director, Vincent Daniault, said the Category Five hurricane, which caused an estimated US$7.7 billion in damage and claimed 50 lives, was unlike any disaster he had previously experienced.

“I am used to the region from working in Costa Rica and I was also in Houston for hurricanes,” Daniault said.

He also vouched for the quality of the Sunshine 150 Solar Lamps, which can fetch up to US$60 per unit on the international market, depending on the source.

Equipped with a small detachable solar panel that can be hung or staked, the Sunshine 150 Solar Lamp also includes a USB port for cellphone charging and can provide up to 100 hours of light at its lowest of four lighting modes.

Daniault, joined by Steve Francis, procurement manager, explained that the Sunshine 150 Solar Lamps have previously been deployed by TotalEnergies in parts of Africa affected by energy crises.

“We have a big presence in other countries, especially Africa in which TotalEnergies is working to help people. The aim is to bring energy to those parts of Africa,” he said.

Daniault added that a day after Hurricane Melissa passed, he toured affected areas from Montego Bay, St James, to Black River in St Elizabeth.

“In Black River, the buildings were destroyed and trees stripped bare. It was difficult not to act seeing the kids and people. I have never seen anything like this. It makes you feel helpless,” he said.