A Drive That Became Something Bigger: Hurricane Melissa Relief

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Students crowded the tables, laughing while adding to the massive pile of donations. Every few minutes, someone else entered carrying another bag filled with supplies. My team worked diligently, sorting through the various items, while more students walked past me, dropping off bags. The room was alive, every single thing functioning the way it should…

Let me pause for a moment. 

The above happened on November 26th, 2025. Why, you may ask, should that date hold any relevance to you? That is the date I realized something meaningful had happened—and I had helped make it possible 

To make sure we’re allon the same page, I’ll start at the beginning.

MANY MONTHS AGO…

In October 2025, I wanted to organize a holiday drive during the Christmas season, so I spoke to my vice principal about the idea. Then on October 28^th, 2025, Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Southwestern Jamaica, before continuing across the Caribbean and impacting the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Bahamas and Bermuda. Hurricane Melissa is the third strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. 

When I brought up the holiday drive, she suggested something more focused and impactful instead. I took her advice, and soon the Jamaica Relief Drive became a reality. 

THE DRIVE

The Jamaica Relief Drive was a multi-item drive, encouraging students across the school to donate through friendly competition. The rules were simple: each item was one point, and the class with the most points won a pizza party. 

I will be honest, it was excruciatingly slow in the beginning. If I was lucky, maybe two or three donations would show up in a week. It was discouraging. Since I had helped to organize it, I felt responsible whenever progress was stalled.

Mid-November brought a fortunate surge of donations, with bags flooding in so quickly they completely overwhelmed us. My main role was organizing, sorting, and packing. Cataloguing, creating posters, and advertising were dispersed throughout my team, each of us working hard.

Keeping track of which class donated what posed the greatest challenge, due to the lack of a tag or label on the items. The need for names was emphasized greatly, but after more blank donations, I didn’t count them for anyone. Students quickly learned after their class stopped moving up the scoreboard. It was an effective strategy. 

A TIME TO REMEMBER

I enjoyed the entire process, the drive being like nothing I had done before. From packing boxes with Christmas music blasting to tallying scores and creating the scoreboard, the drive was quite the experience. Still, my favourite part took the longest to arrive. 

At the very end, on November 28^th, 2025, it was finally time to drive all the donations down to Highfield Junior School, where they would be shipped to Jamaica. Packing the various sized boxes into the cars was like a game of Tetris. My team and I, along with my vice principal, spent nearly an hour carrying everything to the car. There was constant movement, with snippets of dialogue like, “Nope, bigger boxes go in first,” and “Put that in the front; there’s space there.” I loved every bit of it, even when my arms were about to give out while carrying a box filled to the brim with cans of food. It was hard work, but it was rewarding, seeing all the effort we put in.

THE IMPACT

The Jamaica Relief Drive began as a simple idea discussed between two people. It ended as an extraordinary contribution made to people who had suffered greatly. My French teacher said, “I told my husband about what you did. He thought it was an amazing idea and did something similar at his school.” She proceeded to show me pictures of a room stacked with boxes to the ceiling. 

I was astounded, thinking how surreal it was that something I started could inspire others. Before the drive, I had researched Hurricane Melissa and read about the damage it caused. Looking back now, I’m glad I was able to do something to help the survivors of that awful event.

Through the drive, I learned that even a small idea can grow into something meaningful once you stop talking about it and start acting on it. If I had not carried out the idea, none of it would have happened. 

THE FINALE

On October 28^th, 2025, Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica, bringing terror and destruction upon its citizens. 

On November 6^th, 2025, I decided to do something.

People were happy, Christmas music blasting in the background. Boxes were being filled, labelled, then taped and sent to the back. Smiles dotted all the faces, and lively chatter carried through the hallways. The school was alive with the most wonderful gift of all the gift of giving. I grinned widely, taking in the spectacle before me. Somehow, the room felt warmer than the Christmas music blasting through the speakers. Life felt just a little bit sweeter.