Jamaican Canadian Association honours outstanding volunteers

Three exceptional volunteers–an individual, a soccer club, and a growing business – were recognised for answering the call to help Jamaica in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

At its “Boonoonoonoos Brunch” on February 8 to mark three decades of celebrating Black History Month under the theme “Still We Rise,” the Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA) awarded these “individuals, groups, and companies whose contributions strengthened relief efforts and reminded us of who were at our core: a community that never abandons its own.”

MHS Pallets, led by president, Mickardo Hines, who is from Savanna-la-Mar, proudly supported the JCA’s hurricane relief efforts by sponsoring the pallets needed to safely store and ship donated goods to Jamaica.

“It’s an honour to receive an award from the JCA given my history. I’m from Westmoreland that was heavily impacted by the hurricane. My family, personally, is going through it,” he said, noting that when the JCA reached out to request pallets to store donations to be shipped out, he and his staff “jumped on it immediately.”

With a background in warehousing and distribution, and managing largescale facilities across Canada, Hines started his company three years ago.

“We’ve always had issues with pallets. I came up with MHS Pallets to solve a pallet dilemma of storage in warehouses and it has transitioned over the last three years,” said Hines, noting that they started by buying trailers and offering them to warehouses.

They then got the pallets out of warehouses, sorted and re-purposed, and the company is now certified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to sell heat-treated pallets across Europe.

Noel “Monty” Lewis, a member of the JCA, was recognised for his “outstanding and dedicated service” during the relief effort. “Throughout the response initiative, Mr. Lewis demonstrated exceptional commitment, reliability, and a strong sense of community responsibility, consistently stepping forward wherever support was needed,” notes the association.

Lewis, who is from Clarendon, says he is a Jamaican first and loves his country dearly. “When this happened and I was asked to volunteer it was a no-brainer. It was not a thing about choice, I had to,” he said, noting that he could not go to Jamaica at the time so he did this service in Canada to help Jamaicans.

Arriving early daily to the Jamaican Canadian Centre in Toronto, he would be there volunteering until late into the night. Lewis is the first to admit that he did not work alone but got help from many others who were committed to the cause.

The North Kipling Soccer Club mobilised its players and supporters to assist with the sorting and packing of much needed relief supplies. The JCA noted that “their support helped strengthen the association’s ability to provide timely shipment of these supplies to hurricane-affected communities in Jamaica, reflecting the club’s commitment to service, solidarity, and giving back.”

Bunny Morgan, a member of the club, said he was honoured to accept an award on its behalf. “We did this stuff from the heart. We were here from day one helping to count, sort, and package donated items.”

The North Kipling Soccer Club has 50 members– ten of whom showed up regularly to assist the efforts at the JCA.

Their altruism is included in what JCA president, David Betty, described as the staff, members, volunteers, partners and the wider diaspora mobilising with a herculean effort by responding immediately, compassionately, and tirelessly.

“Long before the winds calmed, you were already moving into action. Long after the first response faded from headlines, you continued showing up,” he said.

Keynote speaker, Angella Bennett, regional director of tourism for Canada at the Jamaica Tourist Board, reminded attendees that as Jamaica recovers from the hurricane, it is undeniable that Jamaicans are resilient, united and unstoppable.

“Today, over two-thirds of the island is fully operational and our recovery efforts are moving at a remarkable pace,” she said, noting that this includes hotels, airports, attractions, and local businesses.

“Within eight weeks, our little island was able to restore 80 per cent of the power supply, 83 per cent of our water processing. Ninety days after the hurricane, our hospitality sector is up and running with 70 per cent of our hotels opening for business and has welcome half-a-million visitors to Jamaica,” Bennett said, noting that there were 100,000 from Canada.

By the last quarter of 2026, the tourism sector will have 95 per cent of its hotel capacity back and rebirth of the hospitality sector “stronger, refreshed for winter ‘26-’27.”

Bennett noted that the Canadian diaspora has collectively raised almost $3million Canadian for Jamaica’s relief. “This is the single largest donation across the globe. Your love for Jamaica is evident and your commitment to uplifting our island nation is unmatched.”

The regional director of the JTB said the best way to continue to give back to Jamaica is “to come back.”