{"id":13297,"date":"2025-11-10T14:53:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T19:53:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pef.org\/?page_id=13297"},"modified":"2025-11-10T15:09:39","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T20:09:39","slug":"jdr","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pef.org\/jdr\/","title":{"rendered":"PEF member collects donations for Hurricane Melissa relief in Jamaica"},"content":{"rendered":"

November 10, 2025 \u2014\u00a0Hurricane\u00a0Melissa devastated\u00a0Jamaica\u00a0late last month.\u00a0Current damage estimates show the Category 5 storm\u00a0caused as much as\u00a0$7 billion\u00a0in\u00a0damages.\u00a0International aid organizations\u00a0have descended on the island nation with relief supplies, and the United States has pledged $12 million in\u00a0assistance.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But when a disaster like Hurricane Melissa hits,\u00a0governments do not\u00a0commonly\u00a0donate\u00a0essentials like\u00a0food and drinking water, meaning it often falls to organizations and individuals\u00a0\u2014\u00a0such as\u00a0PEF member Michelle Campbell\u00a0\u2014\u00a0to help feed those affected by the hurricane.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something I wanted to do personally,\u201d said Campbell, who is a\u00a0Healthcare Management Systems Analyst with the New York State Department of Health.\u00a0\u201cJamaica is my homeland, and the people are near and dear to my heart.\u00a0I know\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0hungry. I know firsthand that they need the food.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Campbell\u00a0is\u00a0Jamaican-American\u00a0and her family and friends were\u00a0impacted\u00a0by the storm.\u00a0While\u00a0they\u00a0work\u00a0to rebuild, she wanted to do something for as many people on the island as possible.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With her own money, Campbell bought\u00a0enough food and supplies to fit into a\u00a0170-gallon container to ship to Jamaica. She recognized that her own efforts would not be\u00a0enough and\u00a0recorded multiple\u00a0social media videos\u00a0asking others to join her cause.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a focus on the community. I want all my friends and associates to see if they can put in a little right now,\u201d said Campbell in one of her first videos. \u201cLet\u2019s see if together we can get something substantial to feed a community.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since her first call to action and since that first container was shipped, Campbell has received donations from co-workers and friends moved by her\u00a0goodwill.\u00a0A few fellow PEF members donated items like water,\u00a0flour,\u00a0and rice. Others\u00a0at the Department of Health\u00a0donated money,\u00a0which she uses to shop for fresh food.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is just the\u00a0tip of the iceberg. We know that people are\u00a0generous\u00a0and\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0blessed, and right now we have a country in need,\u201d said Campbell. \u201cI think that this should be\u00a0our\u00a0standard reaction\u00a0(in times of crisis). People are hurting. I am hoping that at least once monthly I can ship out that 170-gallon container.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Campbell\u00a0is collecting\u00a0food, towels, laundry detergent, soap, toilet paper,\u00a0and\u00a0most importantly:\u00a0bottled\u00a0water.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would love to have a whole pallet of water. Right\u00a0now\u00a0we have four cases of water,\u201d said Campbell. \u201cI am not going to ship four cases of water. We need a pallet.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Campbell said she is serious about helping\u00a0the\u00a0entire community. Her goal is to help feed at least 200 families.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

PEF members\u00a0who\u00a0wish\u00a0to help Campbell by contributing a monetary donation can do so through her\u00a0CashApp: $MichelleJoyC\u00a0or\u00a0viaPayPal\u00a0using the email\u00a0<\/span>amsotnas@gmail.com<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(Michelle Santos).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She also set up\u00a0an\u00a0Amazon.com registry<\/a>\u00a0where members can\u00a0order needed items that will be shipped\u00a0directly\u00a0to Campbell\u2019s home\u00a0and then on to Jamaica every\u00a0time\u00a0she fills her 170-gallon bin.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n