Lanterns for Jamaica was an effort to support hurricane recovery in Jamaica through supply drives, school connections, and verified partners. The campaign has since concluded as FLP refocused its work on Florida.
This campaign has concluded and we are not currently collecting donations or supplies for Jamaica. If you arrived here through an older link, that’s why.
The plan
What we set out to do
After Hurricane Melissa caused widespread damage in Jamaica, we looked for ways to apply what we had learned in Florida through trusted partners and verified relief networks.
Supply drives
Hosted by Florida businesses, schools, and congregations.
Adopt-a-School
Connecting Florida organizations with damaged Jamaican schools.
Direct giving
Coordinated through verified partners working on the ground.
The campaign
How it went
Florida businesses, schools, and congregations hosted supply drives, and we worked through verified partners in Jamaica.
Without a permanent local presence there, we ultimately decided our limited time and resources would be more effective closer to home. The campaign was wound down, and this page remains available so anyone arriving through an older link can see its status.
Lessons
What we learned
Local relationships matter.
In Tampa Bay, FLP has years of relationships with people and organizations that know our work. Those connections make it much easier to respond quickly and understand what people actually need.
Our model works best close to home.
FLP is built around practical, direct assistance: helping arrange lodging, answering questions, documenting damage, and following up with families. That model is much harder to deliver effectively from 1,500 miles away.
Specific needs are easier to act on.
Clear requests—specific supplies, a school that needs help, or a family that needs lodging—give people something concrete to respond to.
Now
Where our focus is now
Florida. Before, during, and after storms affecting the communities we serve.