In a powerful response to catastrophic destruction, the Verona Foundation, established by Kerry-Ann Henry to honor her late mother’s legacy, has launched its inaugural humanitarian mission in Jamaica’s storm-battered parish of St Elizabeth. The initiative was catalyzed by Hurricane Melissa’s devastating landfall in late October, a Category 5 storm that claimed 45 lives and left widespread devastation across multiple parishes including Westmoreland, Hanover, St James, and Trelawny.
Henry, a Connecticut-based director of the New York Women’s Foundation who maintains deep roots in her Jamaican homeland, mobilized a 16-member relief team to deliver essential supplies to severely affected communities. The foundation’s December intervention targeted the districts of Slipe, Holland Village, and Burnt Savannah, where teams encountered families sheltering in makeshift structures with tarpaulin roofs and communities accessible only through debris-strewn roads littered with downed utility wires.
The relief effort, supported through strategic partnerships with American corporations including WestPoint Home, Welspun, Loftex Home, Silk Home, 1818 Mills, and Pem America Inc, distributed comprehensive care packages containing non-perishable food, purified water, hygiene kits, cleaning supplies, clothing, temporary shelters, portable sanitation facilities, and bedding materials.
Henry’s philanthropic commitment stems from childhood observations of her mother, Verona Whyte, an entrepreneurial force known for assisting vulnerable populations in Kingston’s Sherlock Crescent and other communities. Witnessing Melissa’s aftermath from abroad compelled Henry to transform compassion into concrete action, embodying her foundation’s commitment to fostering resilience through targeted generosity.
The Verona Foundation represents both a tribute to maternal benevolence and a structured response mechanism for future crises, demonstrating how diaspora connections can effectively channel international resources toward localized recovery efforts while maintaining dignity and solidarity with affected populations.