The Churches of Scientology Disaster Response (CSDR) has played a key role in a collaborative disaster relief effort that shipped over 270,000 meals to Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa. Working alongside Operation BBQ Relief, a U.S.-based disaster nonprofit, and other National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD), CSDR volunteers helped pack and transport food to families affected by the hurricane.
The operation began in October when Operation BBQ Relief identified the need for meals in Jamaica and mobilized volunteers in Florida to prepare shipments. Joava Good, Deputy National Director of CSDR, offered the assistance of her organization, which has over 25 offices across the United States. Volunteers from CSDR's Volunteer Ministers program in Clearwater, Florida, joined forces with other volunteers from local government agencies and schools.
For hundreds of hours, the teams worked in a Pinellas Park warehouse supplied by Amazon with forklifts, pallet jacks, and special tables. They packed non-perishable food into two box sizes: one containing enough food for a family of four for three days (36 meals), and the other for six days (72 meals). The meals were then loaded onto trucks and planes for transport to Jamaica.
Doyle Mills, CSDR national executive who coordinated the Scientology volunteers, highlighted the complexity of the operation. “An operation like this may look simple but it is not. An amazing amount of logistical planning and work went into the operation these past few weeks, much of it behind the scenes. Working with Operation BBQ Relief was a joy and a wonderful experience knowing that the end result would be helping those devastated by Hurricane Melissa,” Mills said.
Mills described the fast-paced assembly line process, which involved labeling, assembling and taping boxes; opening pallets of food; transporting food to the line; packing; sealing; and loading completed pallets. “We transported some of the boxes straight to the airport and loaded them into small planes for quick transport, while the larger portion was loaded onto trucks and driven to Miami to be transported by large cargo aircraft,” he added.
The collaboration underscores the importance of coordinated disaster response. While immediate relief efforts are winding down, hundreds more volunteers will be needed for the next phase of recovery and rebuilding in Jamaica. CSDR is a U.S.-based nonprofit incorporated in Washington, D.C., that coordinates responses with government agencies and other NVOAD organizations.
