Digicel Group and the Digicel Jamaica Foundation have scaled up relief efforts across Jamaica following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, delivering thousands of care packages and other essential support to storm-hit communities.

The joint humanitarian initiative, part of the company’s Reconnecting Jamaica mission, aims to distribute nearly 12,000 care packages to residents in the western parishes most affected by the storm — including Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, Hanover, St James and Trelawny.

Some 10,000 were initially scheduled for delivery. Each package contained staples such as rice, oil and water, along with hygiene kits, solar lanterns and rechargeable emergency bulbs for households still without power.

“To us, staying connected means more than just maintaining our network — it’s about standing with our people,” said Marcelo Cataldo, chief executive of Digicel Group. “In times like this, our responsibility goes beyond business. We’re focused on helping families rebuild, restoring hope and supporting the Government’s recovery efforts across the hardest-hit parishes.”

In addition to care packages, the foundation was distributing hardware certificates to allow residents to buy construction materials directly from local suppliers. Mobile charging stations have also been deployed on Digicel buses, while hundreds of SIM cards and free data plans are being provided to relief workers and customers whose service was disrupted.

“Our Reconnecting Jamaica mission is about restoring dignity, stability and access to basic necessities for those who need it most,” said Charmaine Daniels, CEO of the Digicel Foundation. “These care packages are more than just supplies — they’re a message that Jamaicans are not alone, and we’re here for the long haul.”

Across the island, Digicel network teams continue round-the-clock efforts to restore connectivity. “As we restore connectivity, we’re also rebuilding communities,” added Stephen Murad, CEO of Digicel Jamaica. “We’re proud of our teams who have gone above and beyond to bring service back online while volunteering to deliver relief supplies.”

Digicel will also launch voice and text donation lines across its markets to support relief efforts and has placed donation bins at its Kingston headquarters for staff contributions of food, hygiene items and clothing.