NewzKINGSTON, Jamaica—When Hurricane Melissa tore through sections of Jamaica last year, it left behind a trail of destruction —flattened homes, uprooted crops — and abruptly halted livelihoods. For many families, the storm was not only a disaster but also a life‑altering setback. Among the hardest hit were Richard Ruddock, a father of six from Llandilo, Westmoreland; and Dorothy Angus, a physically challenged ginger farmer from Duxes district in Point Hill, St Catherine.
Their resilience and determination embody the spirit of recovery. Recently, both received grants from the JN Foundation, through the ISupport Jamaica Fund. The beneficiaries, who were nominated by members of the JN Circle, will use the proceeds to help to rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
According to a release from the JN Foundation, Hurricane Melissa was the turning point in Ruddock’s life, wiping out his modest home and small restaurant business. We had a little restaurant, and all of that is gone,” he said. He and his son operated a small cookshop, selling steamed and roast fish, fried chicken, rice, and chicken and chips.
The business provided an income stream he hoped to expand, but with his equipment destroyed and no capital to restart, those hopes were put on hold. The JN Foundation grant has since helped to reopen that door. “I can start the business again,” he said.
I can do something for my youth now.” For Ruddock, the grant is more than financial assistance, it's the beginning of stability after months of uncertainty. At 67 years old Angus has the determination of someone half her age. She suffered spinal injury some years ago and now walks pulling one leg.
She farms ginger, peppers,broccoli and cabbage on a steep hillside property she manages entirely on her own. The farm is her primary source of income and that is the means through which she cared for her elderly father. But Hurricane Melissa changed everything.
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