Pittsburgh nonprofit sends Hurricane Melissa disaster relief supplies

Ozzy Samad, president of Brother’s Brother Foundation, knew Pittsburgh needed to step up to help Jamaica after seeing the size and strength of Hurricane Melissa.

Within 72 hours, the North Side-based nonprofit had packed and loaded its first shipment of relief supplies onto trucks for transport.

On Monday, Samad reached out to one of their partners in Southern Florida, Food For The Poor, to offer assistance. Throughout the week, volunteers prepared by sorting through boxes containing supplies and creating rescue kits.

By Wednesday morning, the foundation’s first delivery — containing over 6,000 hygiene kits, 220 hard hats, cleaning supplies, disinfecting wipes and diapers — was enroute to those in need.

Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica on Tuesday, with winds of 186 mph the storm hit the shore — surpassing the requirements of a Category 5 hurricane. The next day, Melissa struck the Caribbean coast and Cuba’s second-biggest city — leaving hundreds of rural communities isolated and killing at least 25 people in Haiti, as reported by Reuters.

“It is too chaotic to start when there is a disaster,” Samad said, about the need for preparation prior to the storms.

Samad said that the magnitude of the storm has made it difficult to know when the kits will be delivered, but he believes that once Food For The Poor receives the packages they will be distributed primarily along the lower coast.

“(The) people who are on the ground really know what is going on,” Samad said.

Food For The Poor has a building located in Spanish Town, Jamaica, which is located near a series of major roads.

Ed Raine, CEO of Food For The Poor, said the kits from Brother’s Brother Foundation will be delivered directly to Jamaica.

Last year, Brother’s Brother Foundation responded to 15 disasters, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton; tornadoes in Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Iowa; Cyclone Michaung; flooding in Puerto Rico; and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine — the nonprofit’s largest disaster response to date, according to its website.

The organization has been providing medications, medical supplies, and other humanitarian aid to those affected in Ukraine and to refugees in Poland.

Samad said Brother’s Brother is preparing a second shipment of disaster relief supplies, including exam tables and chairs, wheelchairs and walkers, birthing kits, air purifiers, specialized clothing and equipment for healthcare workers, and medications.

“If it hadn’t been so crazy in terms of the magnitude they would have gone out immediately,” Samad said. ”The needs are so great.”