RG CARES Foundation launches Hurricane Melissa relief initiative

The RJRGLEANER Communications Group, through its RG CARES Foundation, on Friday launched an initiative seeking public donations of cash and non-perishable food items to assist persons severely affected by Hurricane Melissa.

The initiative will also seek to help family members and friends make contact with loved ones who are worried about the fate of those they have not heard from since the passage of the Category 5 hurricane.

RG CARES will get the ball rolling with $500,000 worth of its own contributed supplies this weekend and will have programmes on different platforms with information about the impact of the hurricane and the most pressing needs.

“We are also pleased to announce that we will collaborate with the churches in the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands network as collection points in Kingston, St Andrew, and Portmore to receive physical donations,” said foundation chairman Gary Allen.

He explained that following the collection, teams of volunteers will journey into the most affected areas, where they will again work with other partners to provide assistance to those most in need.

Allen explained that cash donations will be used to purchase canned foods and vegetables, personal hygiene products, as well as non-perishable food items and water to be shared with the people most severely impacted.

“We are asking for donations of similar items that can be dropped off at The Webster Memorial Church Hall at 53 Half-Way Tree Road; Hope United at 221 Old Hope Road; Meadowbrook United at 2 Flemington Drive (all in Kingston); and Portmore United at Bridgeport Road in Portmore, St Catherine.”

Cash donations are also being accepted.

How to make cash donations:

The Bank of Nova Scotia

New Kingston Branch

Transit #50575

Jamaican Dollar Account #10822945

US Dollar Account #10822946

Chequing Account Name: Television Jamaica Change a Life Jamaica

RG CARES also says it will collect the names of persons who have not been able to reach loved ones and make them available through its corporate website, www.rjrgleanergroup.com.

This will allow people at home and overseas to visit and check by parish if their loved ones are reaching out through that platform.

It says that, as a fully integrated media entity, it will also have this information available across other platforms to enhance this type of connectivity.

In confirming its partnership with the RG CARES Foundation, the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands said it recognises that this national crisis calls for a unified response that draws upon compassion, resources, and the collective will of our people.

“The United Church is therefore pleased to partner with the RJRGLEANER Group in this relief effort. Through our network of congregations, we will facilitate and support the collection of items and will encourage those within our community to share in the relief work in the designated affected communities,” said Rev. Norbert D. Stephens, General Secretary of the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.

The RG CARES Foundation will announce other partners as they come on board.

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