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Pocket Rocket Foundation launches Melissa relief effort

Published:Wednesday | November 5, 2025 | 12:22 AM
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (right), founder of the Pocket Rocket Foundation, joins volunteers last Friday in assembling care packages for families impacted by Hurricane Melissa. The initiative forms part of the Foundation’s national relief drive to support
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Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (right), founder of the Pocket Rocket Foundation, joins volunteers last Friday in assembling care packages for families impacted by Hurricane Melissa. The initiative forms part of the Foundation’s national relief drive to support student-athletes, their families, and communities affected by the disaster.

The Pocket Rocket Foundation has launched a relief initiative to assist student-athletes, their families, schools and the wider communities affected by Hurricane Melissa.

Founder and Chairwoman Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce said the Foundation remains committed to supporting Jamaicans through times of difficulty.

“Hurricane Melissa has left many of our student-athletes and their families facing unimaginable loss,” she said. “Our goal is to bring some measure of relief and to remind those affected that they are not alone. This is about standing together as a nation and helping each other recover.”

The Foundation launched a fundraising drive last Wednesday, a day after Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica, causing catastrophic devastation to sections of the island. The fundraising target is US$200,000. Persons who wish to contribute can donate via the Foundation’s website at www.pocketrocketfoundation.org.

In kind donations are also being collected by the Pocket Rocket Foundation in partnership with Ballaz Football Academy. Contributions can be dropped off at Ballaz Liberty Park, 1 Devon Road, Kingston 10.

“We are truly heartened by the support we have already received with several partners coming on board to provide much needed supplies that will be of tremendous help to families,” Fraser-Pryce said.

The Foundation made its first delivery of care packages on Friday in St Elizabeth, where several students collected packages from the distribution base at St Elizabeth Technical High School. The team also visited some surrounding communities in the parish that were severely impacted by the storm. Relief packages were also delivered to several communities in Westmoreland on Saturday.

Through the effort, the Foundation is distributing care packages containing food, toiletries, and essential household items to help ease the immediate burden on affected families. The relief drive is being carried out with the support of Grace Foods, Carimed, Consumer Brands, Sanmerna Paper Products, Ballaz Football Academy, 1st World Dental, Ziggy D Chemical, SFL Caribbean Strong and Global Empowerment Mission.

The Pocket Rocket Foundation said it would continue to assess needs across affected parishes and welcomed support from members of the public and corporate partners who wish to contribute.

All donations will go directly toward relief efforts targeting student-athletes, schools, and families in need. For more information on how to donate or support the initiative, persons may visit www.pocketrocketfoundation.org or email admin@pocketrocketfoundation.org.