ALMOST seven months after Hurricane Melissa tore through sections of western Jamaica, a South Florida-based, Jamaican-led charity says it has amassed a massive stockpile of relief supplies but now faces its biggest hurdle yet — getting the aid to the island.

Derry-Ann Allen, founder of the KaGra Foundation, says the organisation has collected enough donations to fill a 40-foot shipping container with essential supplies ranging from medical equipment and baby formula to mattresses, wheelchairs, and solar-powered radios. However, with shipping and Customs costs now estimated to run into millions of Jamaican dollars, the group is appealing for urgent public and corporate support.

“We asked for help once in acquiring the items, and we got that,” Allen told the Jamaica Observer. “Now we’re asking for assistance with the finances to get it there.”

Allen said the foundation saw an overwhelming response after its initial hurricane relief appeal was featured in the Observer, triggering a wave of calls from donors eager to contribute.

“The Jamaica Observer story gave us the first push,” she said. “Then it became word of mouth. People started reaching out asking how they could help and where they could donate items, because they wanted to be sure the support would get to people who really needed it.”

Most of the donations came from South Florida communities stretching from Miami to Orlando, with additional enquiries coming from overseas, including England, after a radio interview in the UK.

Among the supplies collected are water purification tablets, pre-mixed baby formula, tarpaulins, cots, strollers, sanitary products, wound care supplies, crutches, walkers, and even a mini refrigerator.

“One of the most useful donations has been the water purification tablets,” Allen explained. “If residents have catchment water, they can use one tablet and make it safe to drink.”

She said the foundation was forced to discard a significant quantity of baby formula due to expiration concerns, highlighting the urgency of getting the shipment moving.

“It pains my heart to throw away anything knowing there are babies out there who could use it,” she said.

Allen said the end of Jamaica’s post-hurricane Customs waiver has complicated matters significantly. While Sydcam Shipping has stepped in to provide critical support, including free warehouse space and a donated container worth approximately US$3,000, the foundation still needs between US$6,000 and US$9,000 to cover shipping logistics to Jamaica.

Once the container arrives, additional local costs, including Customs clearance and distribution, could range from $500,000 to $2.5 million.

“We are privately owned. We have no corporate backing helping us financially with sending off the items,” Allen said. “This has been regular people putting together US$5, US$10, US$20 — whatever they can.”

Before moving into the shipping warehouse, donated supplies were spread across four volunteer homes in South Florida.

“We didn’t realise how much we had until we brought everything into one place,” Allen said. “It was the equivalent of about five garages full of supplies.”

If the funding goal is met, Allen said foundation members plan to travel to Jamaica to identify communities still in dire need, even months after the hurricane.

“I’m not too concerned about how long after the hurricane we go,” she said. “Because by then, whoever got help would have already received it. The people still struggling six or seven months later are the ones who truly need assistance.”

For Allen, getting the shipment to Jamaica would be deeply personal.

“It would be the best birthday gift ever,” she said. “Just knowing that we’re getting things to people who genuinely need them, that would bring me so much joy.”

Dwayne Perrin looks over donated supplies collected by the KaGra Foundation ahead of shipment to hurricane-affected communities in Jamaica.

KaGra Foundation volunteers sorting and packing relief supplies for residents of hurricane-affected communities in Jamaica.

Royston Kirton (left) and his father, Roy Kirton, sort donated items bound for hurricane-affected communities in Jamaica as part of the KaGra Foundation’s humanitarian shipment effort.