“A Marathon, Not a Sprint”: Anglicans and Freemasons Pool $2 Million for Melissa House Repairs

• The Anglican Kingston Deanery and the District Grand Lodge run the Kingston Hub
• Supplies were handed over at Christ Church, St Andrew on May 1, 2026
• Members and non-members donated $2 million for house repairs
• Organisers say rebuilding after Melissa will take years

Six months after Hurricane Melissa, a partnership between Anglicans and Freemasons in Kingston was still sending help west, and its organisers said the job was far from finished, the Jamaica Observer reported in May 2026.

The Kingston Hub Disaster Relief Project brings together the District Grand Lodge of Jamaica and the Kingston Deanery of the Anglican Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. At a handover at Christ Church in St Andrew on May 1, 2026, it distributed 43 mattresses, pillows, tarpaulins, bottled water, cleaning supplies and food. Contributions had come from Panama, Barbados, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada, and members and non-members had donated $2 million for house repairs.

“We are still there because it’s not done. It’s going to be a long process of rebuilding and they have the need consistently,” said Archdeacon Patrick Cunningham.

Dr Courtney Palmer, District Grand Master, said: “It’s an ongoing thing. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” Sean Major-Campbell, dean of the Kingston Deanery, agreed: “Jamaica is really going to be in this for the long haul.”

Six months on, the needs have shifted from emergency supplies to repairs, and that is where housing recovery becomes expensive and slow. Tarpaulins buy time, but roofs, windows and damaged walls need materials and skilled labour. A $2 million repair fund can go a long way if it is targeted at the most vulnerable households and spent on durable fixes.

For homeowners and diaspora families still waiting to rebuild, partnerships like this show where help can come from beyond government. For churches, the lesson is that long-term housing recovery needs sustained fundraising, clear criteria for who gets help, and builders who repair to a stronger standard, so that the next storm does not undo the work.

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