FORT MYERS, Fla. — A Fort Myers restaurant owner is collecting donations to help Jamaica recover from Hurricane Melissa, drawing on his own childhood memories of surviving Hurricane Gilbert to fuel his relief efforts.
Andrew Henry, owner of Irie-A Jamaican American Cafe in Fort Myers, launched the donation drive after Hurricane Melissa devastated western Jamaica in late October. The hurricane brought significant destruction to the island.
Watch Fort Myers Community Correspondent Miyoshi Price's report:
"Out of many, we are one people," Henry said, referencing Jamaica's national motto. "It doesn't matter how small or too big you think what you have is. You give from the heart."
Henry, originally from Clarendon, Jamaica, experienced Hurricane Gilbert as a child in the late 1980s. He described the current hurricane as far more destructive than Gilbert.
"Comparing Melissa to Hurricane Gilbert, these are two different hurricanes, two different eras," Henry said. "This one is very, very dangerous."
The restaurant is accepting non-perishable items including water, tissues, diapers, baby food, toothbrushes and shoes. Henry plans to transport collected donations to a company in Fort Lauderdale that ships supplies to Jamaica.
Drop off at the restaurant:
Address: 3559 Fowler St, Fort Myers, FL 33901
Communication challenges have made it difficult for Henry to reach family members still living in Jamaica, including aunts, uncles and cousins on both his mother's and father's sides.
"Because of communication issues in terms of internet and so forth, it's kind of slow until everything comes back up," Henry said.
Azim Salmon, who lives in Cape Coral, who frequently visits Henry's restaurant, praised the relief effort. Salmon, originally from Kingston, said he has family members on the eastern side of the island who were less affected than those in western Jamaica.
"It's about being a humanitarian," Salmon said. "It's not about what's in it for me, but what can I give back - a pay it forward concept."
Salmon compared the current relief effort to the community response Southwest Florida received during Hurricane Ian in 2022.
"The same thing that everyone in the United States said to us when Ian came and hung out for eight hours - let's go help," Salmon said.
Henry emphasized that the Jamaican community's resilience will help the island recover from Hurricane Melissa's destruction.
"We're a very strong nation. We're very resilient," Henry said. "We like coming together, especially at times like this."
The donation drive will continue for several weeks, with Henry planning to ship collected items as soon as possible to maximize their impact on recovery efforts.
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