If you’ve eaten in Ennis, odds are strong that you have experienced the work of a member of the town’s Jamaican community. For over 10 years Jamaicans have been contributing to our community through their work at the grocery store, The Sportsman, Gravel Bar and other establishments. Now the Jamaican community that has given to Ennis needs our community's help.  

On Oct. 28 Hurricane Melissa ravaged Jamaica with 185 mile per hour winds, the strongest ever recorded in a storm that hit the island. Entire communities were decimated and for days Jamaicans in Ennis waited nervously to hear news of their families. Satellite imagery shows that as much as 80% of the roofs on buildings in Jamaica have been destroyed according to a Nov. 9 article in The Independent about the monumental task of rebuilding the island.

One of those roofs belongs to the farm owned by Sandra Shakespeare who when she is not busy making shepherd's pie and enchiladas for the patrons of the Gravel Bar can be heard lifting her voice in praise as she sings the gospel from her small cabin in town. While Sandra works in Ennis to begin saving and planning how to rebuild her farm, the situation for her family members in Jamaica is more dire and more immediate. 

The storm destroyed the national power grid. Flooding and road failures are widespread. Access to clean water and food is difficult and limited according to reports given to the Independent. On Nov. 4 the United Nations reported that 1.5 million Jamaicans have been impacted by the storm, losing either their home, their livelihood or both. The report goes on to state that they estimate that 360,000 people on the island will need food support and that they are prepared to offer assistance for roughly 200,000. 

According to the UN, French and Dutch vessels have arrived in Jamaica to deliver relief goods, but parishes in the West of the country continue to be difficult to access due to debris, flooding and damage to the roads. Additional support is arriving from non-profits like Operation BBQ Relief, a group supported by Ennis volunteer and philanthropist Jim Snyder that has already delivered 208,000 shelf stable meals to the island and has plans to distribute at least 108,000 more. The organization is also providing bottled water as part of their effort. 

“In Jamaica it is really a logistical challenge because a lot of the infrastructure has been devastated,” said Snyder. Who has volunteered for Operational BBQ Relief for about eight years. “We set up a location in Tampa Bay, Florida to put together the packages and then had to find a reputable partner in Jamaica to distribute them.”

 “We’ve distributed over 35,000 bottles of water, which is a big deal because a lot of their water supply has been destroyed,” he continued. “Being able to just supply bottled water is a big deal.”

Gravel Bar and Burnt Tree Brewing owners Scott and Amy Kelley have already begun to distribute support directly to their Jamaican employees who are putting it where it is needed most in their families and communities. 

“I don’t think there is a ‘calvary’ on the way to help these people,” said Scott Kelley in an interview about the Gravel Bar and Burnt Tree’s day of giving on Nov. 21 where all proceeds from the Gravel Bar and Burnt Tree will be donated to help the rebuilding effort in Jamaica begin.

The destruction to Jamaica’s farmland has created fears of a food crisis according to the article in the Independent, which noted that the Western part of the country where much of the agricultural land is located, bore the brunt of the storm. The combination of power outages and food shortages have raised concerns that civil unrest and violence will follow according to The Independent.  

According to an article published by Rueter’s on Nov. 4, the early estimates of the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa is in the range of six to seven billion dollars and it indicates that those estimates are likely conservative. That amount is equivalent to approximately a third of Jamaica’s gross domestic product, according to the article and the belief is that the rebuilding of the island is going to be a lengthy and expensive process that will require the government of Jamaica to borrow heavily. 

While acknowledging that the devastation is nearly unimaginable from our viewpoint in Montana, the Kelleys are putting a hyper focus on their efforts to help the Jamaicans that have been part of their Gravel Bar and Burnt Tree families for years. If you would like to help, please plan on dining at the Gravel Bar or Burnt Tree Brewing on Nov. 21. One hundred percent of the proceeds from both businesses will go directly to the families of Jamaicans who work in the community of Ennis. 

“We’re hopeful that the money we raise will make a difference to the families of our team,” Scott said. If you are unable to make it to the event and want to donate directly to the Jamaicans who live in Ennis, please email [email protected] and we will make arrangements for you. 

If you would prefer to work through a national organization, please volunteer or donate to Operation BBQ Relief at www.operationbbqrelief.org.