November 30, 2025
When Hurricane Melissa slammed into the western half of Jamaica on October 28 it set a world record with wind gusts reaching 406 kmh.About 2800 kilometers away from where the hurricane made landfall, a much more positive record was taking place as people in Niagara responded to the news. The impact was personal for many locals worried about their Jamaican neighbours and friends, men who spend three quarters of their adult lives working and living in our community.
On July 1, 2024 the harvest was just beginning in Niagara when Hurricane Beryl hit the island. The men working on the farms felt helpless as they had no way to help their families prepare their homes and property for the oncoming storm. The destruction which followed left some communities without hydro for as long as 3 months. Many Jamaican men in the southern parish of St.Elizabeth had not even finished rebuilding from Hurricane Beryl when they returned here to work in spring 2025. They shared the stories of recovery, describing the sheer amount of physical labour it took to repair and rebuild.
This past October there were still about one hundred men working in local greenhouses and farms when news spread about another massive weather system approaching the island. Recalling their stories of struggling without light and electricity we started the “This Little Light of Mine” project on social media and immediately began ordering headlamps, solar lanterns and solar battery rechargers to send home with the men.
On Tuesday, October 28th communication with family members was cut off as cell towers twisted into mangled heaps. By Wednesday October 29th the news from the island was far worse than anyone could possibly imagine.
The response to the rechargeable headlamps and solar light requests ignited within hours of posting on social media. Close to $4,000 was raised in the first few weeks allowing us to purchase over 140 headlamps, a dozen solar lantern/recharger units, 3 dozen solar power banks as well as rechargeable bulbs and flashlights. The flight delays gave us time to connect personally with the men while we moved quickly to distribute them.
The Jamaican Liaison Service issued a plea for donations after arranging drop off locations at the Farmworker Hub in Virgil and Cherrylane Farm in Vineland. Brittney Kranz, lead coordinator for the Farmworker Hub, organized daily shifts for volunteers from 9:30 Am to 4:30 PM to process and pack the donations as the community continued to respond in unprecedented ways.
Four blue shipping barrels were filled to the brim with emergency supplies and packed by men returning to the affected communities, including the Black River area which was totally destroyed.A member of Niagara United Mennonite church covered the cost of 50 solar lights.
Bikes for Farmworkers contributed funds for headlamps and power banks.
Mountainview Construction did a donation drive with their employees, arriving with a truckload of goods.
Members of the Buis family (Glenlake Farms) and the Thwaites family along with several of their employees helped with packing and loading.
Vineland Growers contributed $1,300 worth of tools from their retail store.
By November 17 over 160 large boxes of donated necessities had been loaded into a Vineland Growers truck with the assistance of a forklift from Niagara Orchard and Vineyard Corp. The Jamaica Liaison Office arranged for the actual shipping to Jamaica with the goal of reaching the hardest hit areas of the island.
Thanks to the generosity of the many donors and the combined efforts of Niagara Workers Welcome and the Farmworker Hub, over 225 headlamps, 5 dozen solar power banks and 120 solar lanterns were distributed personally to the men prior to their flight home. They in turn were able to share the lights with other Niagara workers who had returned home before the hurricane hit.
A little over four weeks has passed since Hurricane Melissa made landfall. Many of the farmworkers’ children will soon be returning to heavily damaged schools that no longer have books or supplies necessary for their education. Devastation has been met with determination and courage to face the future challenges. Experiencing community support has made a difference for the men and their families who are faced with the difficult task of rebuilding.
Darkness falls early on the island at this time of year. We can hear the peeping of the tree frogs in the background as voice messages express appreciation for the simple gifts of light and connection. Every glimmer of light from a headlamp or lantern is helping to illuminate a path forward one step at a time, a gentle reminder of a community that cares.