The Jamaica Red Cross, in partnership with USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), has begun the implementation of a Food Voucher Assistance Programme, as part of its National Response Plan in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. The initiative which kicked off in Rocky Point in Clarendon in October last year, is being rolled out to reach selected households across the island that were severely impacted by the passage of the hurricane on July 3, 2025.
Valued at over J$11M, the benefit is being provided to 550 families, with designated recipients each receiving vouchers worth J$20,000. The vouchers are redeemable at specified supermarkets and local grocery stores within each region. To date, 213 vouchers have been issued across the parishes of Clarendon, Manchester, St. Catherine and St. Ann.
“The impact of Hurricane Beryl has been widespread, and many families are still struggling to recover. This grocery voucher programme is a vital component of our ongoing efforts to support the most vulnerable among us,” noted Leiska Powell, Acting Emergency Services Manager of the Jamaica Red Cross.
Acknowledging, the value of the partnership, Ms. Powell said, “We are grateful to USAID BHA for supporting us in bringing this initiative to life,” adding that “it allows families the dignity of choosing their own food while also helping to boost the local economy.”
The project is designed to ease the burden on families who are still rebuilding from the devastation caused by the hurricane. In addition to providing immediate nutritional support, the programme will stimulate local economies by ensuring that vouchers can be redeemed at community businesses, thereby creating a ripple effect of recovery.
Meanwhile, voucher recipients have been expressing appreciation for the intervention, which they see as well-needed and timely. In the case of Sharnell Rhoden, of Portland Cottage, a single mother of five, who was displaced by the hurricane, the voucher came as an answer to prayer. “It makes a lot of difference, because I didn’t have anything to give my children,” she shared. “I was coming down and I was crying to God. I didn’t know it was a voucher… and this morning, I find out it’s a voucher…. So, it means a lot to me,” Ms. Rhoden added.
Jamaica Red Cross will continue with the voucher distributions, aiming to reach all remaining parishes by the end of March 2025. This is being done alongside other components of the JRC’s National Response Plan, which includes livelihoods restoration, psychosocial support, as well as risk reduction, climate adaptation and recovery strategies in some of the hardest-hit communities.
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