I Love Soca, Food For The Poor aid post-Melissa rebuild

Nearly a year after Hurricane Melissa displaced her, Hyacinth Crowe finally has a place to call home again.

Crowe, affectionately known as ‘Miss Hyacinth’, recently received a new home in Newcombe Valley district, Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth, through a partnership between the management team of I Love Soca Cooler Festival and Food For The Poor Jamaica.

The home follows relief efforts by I Love Soca, which staged its first event in St Elizabeth just weeks before Hurricane Melissa devastated sections of the parish.

The festival made its debut in the parish in mid-October 2025. When Hurricane Melissa struck shortly afterwards, leaving several families without safe housing, the team first responded with relief supplies before deciding it wanted to make a longer-term contribution.

“Our first staging in St Elizabeth was so well received by the people of the parish. The patrons actually welcomed us like we from the parish and we were overwhelmed by the support we received. Just two weeks later when we all saw the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa, we knew we had a responsibility to respond with more than words,” said Andrew Bellamy, managing director of I Love Soca Cooler Festival.

“First we visited the parish in Newmarket and brought some well-needed relief items, then we decided we wanted to do even more, so we asked our patrons at the Boxing Day staging of ILS in 2025 to donate to continue our efforts. This later led to a collaboration with Food For the Poor to help build a home for Miss Hyacinth so that she can begin a new chapter in a safe place,” he continued.

Bellamy shared that the team had initially considered acquiring a container home for a resident in one of the hurricane-affected communities. Following consultations, however, I Love Soca partnered with Food For The Poor Jamaica, whose community network helped identify Crowe as a beneficiary in need of housing.

The I Love Soca team thanked Food For The Poor Jamaica, its patrons and others who contributed to the initiative.

lifestyle@gleanerjm.com