The Churches of Scientology Disaster Response (CSDR) joined forces with Operation BBQ Relief and other National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) to assist survivors in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa in October. The collaboration involved packing non-perishable food at a warehouse in Pinellas Park, Florida, with volunteers from various organizations, including local government agencies and schools.
Operation BBQ Relief, a US disaster non-profit, anticipated the need for meals and required volunteers in Florida to pack and ship thousands of meals to Jamaica. Joava Good, Deputy National Director of CSDR (www.csdr-us.org), offered the help of her volunteers. The Volunteer Ministers (www.volunteerministers.org) from the Clearwater area worked alongside other volunteers for hundreds of man-hours, preparing boxes filled with life-saving food.
The warehouse, supplied with forklifts, pallet jacks, and special tables provided by Amazon, housed the packing operation. Volunteers packed two different box sizes containing enough nutritious food to sustain a family of four for either three days (36 meals) or six days (72 meals). In total, over 270,000 meals were shipped out.
Doyle Mills, CSDR national executive who coordinated the Scientology volunteers, highlighted the complexity of the operation. "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." He described the process as a "loud, fast-paced machine" involving labeling, assembling, taping boxes, opening pallets, transporting food, and loading completed pallets. Some boxes were transported directly to the airport for small planes, while the larger portion was trucked to Miami for cargo aircraft.
Mills emphasized the importance of collaboration: "What made the overall operation successful was collaboration – working together side-by-side to get the product. Hard work, yes, but we had fun knowing we were helping those in need. It was an honor to work with the Operation BBQ's team."
While immediate disaster response activities to Jamaica are winding down, hundreds more volunteers will be needed for the next phase of recovery and rebuilding. CSDR (www.csdr-us.org) is a US-based non-profit disaster response organization with over 25 offices nationwide, coordinating responses with government agencies and other NVOAD organizations.
