Jamaica YES

05/10/2026

05/08/2026

Adopt-A-Highway Litter Pickup
The quarterly litter pickup along our Jamaica YES adopted highway on Exchange Parkway in Allen, Texas resulted in collecting over 80 pounds of trash and several large items.

05/08/2026

Keep Allen Beautiful
On April 25th, members of Jamaica YES volunteered at the celebration of the 150-year anniversary of Allen, Texas. Since 2019, Jamaica YES has supported the Keep Allen Beautiful Adopt-A-Highway program participating in quarterly litter collection to help keep the community clean.

The anniversary celebration was attended by thousands of people from the surrounding areas for a day of fun for everyone. Jamaica YES volunteers enjoyed meeting a variety of people and helping ensure guests left with a special Keep Allen Beautiful branded item to remember the occasion.

Jamaica YES is dedicated not only to helping underserved children in Jamaica, but also to making a positive impact right here in North Texas.

05/08/2026

Volunteer time at Frisco Fastpacs
On April 24th, members of Jamaica YES volunteered their time at the Frisco Fastpacs Empty Bowls charity event in Frisco, Texas.

Frisco Fastpacs is a local nonprofit whose mission is “to feed children enduring hunger in our community, nourishing their potential for healthier school days.” Their work makes a lasting difference in the lives of local children and families, ensuring students have the nourishment they need to focus, learn, and succeed.

Jamaica YES is grateful for the opportunity to give back locally and support organizations like Frisco Fastpacs that are changing children’s lives through compassion, service, and community support.

04/24/2026

ATTENTION NORTH TEXAS FRIENDS
A Simple Way to Make a Big Difference (Time Sensitive!) –
Campaign is Monday, April 20th to Sunday, May 3rd.

SPRING CLEANING!! Have you gone through your house and tidying up closets, attic space, etc and end up with items you would like to pass along. Let’s free up your weekend by not having a garage sale and if you do, the items that don’t sell, please consider donating them to Donate 2 Impact (D2I). When you donate to D2I and mention Jamaica YES, every pound you give helps fund breakfast programs for underserved schoolchildren in Jamaica. A full stomach helps a child focus, learn, and dream - your donation can be part of that journey.

When: Monday, April 20 thru Sunday, May 3

What to Donate: Clothing, toys, books, household items & more (See the accepted items list in the second photo)

📍 Drop-Off Locations:
• Little Elm, Texas - 2417 FM 423
• Frisco, Texas - 10601 Ohio Dr
• Arlington - 6020 S Cooper St

No time to drop off? No problem! Schedule a pickup and Donate 2 Impact will collect your items right from your doorstep.

Why Donate?
• Create space in your home
• Receive a tax-deductible donation form (upon request)
• Most importantly — help change a child’s life, especially now.

Please remember to mention Jamaica YES when donating or look for the Jamaica YES signs at each location so your contribution supports this mission. Because of your generosity, past drives have allowed us to keep funding the breakfast programs and reach more children in Jamaica (16 schools, from Pre-K to Elementary schools across Jamaica). Let’s keep that momentum going by dropping off or calling for a donation pickup during this two-week campaign. Let’s do it again, together.

Thank you for helping us turn everyday items into brighter futures. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to send a message.

04/05/2026

Wishing you and your family a happy Easter.

03/24/2026

Cards of hope and inspiration to Kentucky Primary & Infant School students in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica

On October 28, Kentucky Primary & Infant School, located in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica, found itself in the direct path of Hurricane Melissa. Once the storm had passed, the principal made her way to the school, without light or cell phone service, to discover extensive damage--the roof was gone, classrooms were flooded, school supplies and textbooks completely destroyed. Many of the school’s 80 students also experienced missing roofs at home and several were rendered homeless. The entire community was without electricity, water or Internet connectivity.

In the weeks that followed, teachers, staff, and volunteers focused on getting the school back on its feet. Debris was cleared, floors were cleaned, and with canvas tarps in place where the roof had been, students were able to return. The reopening of the school also meant the return of the Jamaica YES breakfast program, something the children had come to rely on.

More than 1,600 miles away in Frisco, Texas, Ms. Mac’s 4th grade writing class at Anderson Elementary wanted to help the hurricane victims in some way. They decided to send personal messages of hope and encouragement to the students who were impacted at Kentucky Primary & Infant School. They wrote over 150 handmade cards - simple messages filled with encouragement, kindness, and a reminder that someone was thinking about them.

The cards were delivered to Jamaica through the assistance of a visitor who kindly volunteered to pack them in her luggage, and who also took the initiative to include essential school supplies.

The students at Kentucky Primary & Infant school were thrilled to receive the handmade cards from their new American friends at Anderson Elementary. Many contained uplifting comments and some even provided contact information to become “pen pals”.

As the children of Kentucky Primary & Infant School transition through community and personal recovery they will be able to look at their message from a friend in the U.S. that hopefully will serve as a reminder: even from far way, people are thinking of them in this time of need.

For additional photos and videos: https://jamaicayes.smugmug.com/Kentucky-Primary-Infant-School-Anderson-Elementary-School

03/13/2026

School updates as of February 28, 2026

There is so much work left to do but slowly making progress.

The balance of the Hurricane Melissa Relief Fund is being held in reserve to assist impacted schools as additional expenses occur following Ministry of Education intervention.

In Jamaica all “Primary” schools are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education (MOE). No repair/recovery actions can be independently pursued without the express approval of the MOE. Oversight by the MOE requires they assign a project manager and select all contractors performing work on the identified project at each school. Given the magnitude of devastation caused by hurricane Melissa the recovery of our schools to full operation requiring MOE oversight will take longer than expected.

For additional photos and videos regarding Hurricane Melissa and the schools, please click on the following link. https://jamaicayes.smugmug.com/Hurricane-Melissa-Impact-on-schools

02/16/2026

ATTENTION OUR NORTH TEXAS FRIENDS

Hopefully, everyone has recovered from all the ice and cold weather we got hit with in the area a couple of weeks ago! Now that we have been experiencing warmer weather, has it motivated you to do some early Spring cleaning? Does the thought of having a garage sale make you think twice or wonder what to do with the items (not including furniture) that still have some life left in them? Here’s an idea and you can help make a difference in an underserved child’s life at the same time.

When you donate to Donate 2 Impact (D2I) and mention Jamaica YES, every pound you give helps fund breakfast programs for underserved schoolchildren in Jamaica. A full stomach helps a child focus, learn, and dream - your donation can be part of that journey.

Our two-week campaign starts today, February 16th:

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16th thru SUNDAY, MARCH 1st

What to Donate: Clothing, toys, books, household items & more (see the first photo for a list of accepted items or visit their website www.donate2mpact.com).

Drop-Off Locations:
• Little Elm, Texas — 2417 FM 423
• Frisco, Texas — 10601 Ohio Dr
• Arlington, Texas — 6020 S Cooper St

No time to drop off? No problem! Schedule a pickup and Donate 2 Impact will collect your items right from your doorstep - schedule on their website: www.donate2impact.com.

Why Donate?
• Create space in your home
• Receive a tax-deductible donation form (upon request)
• Most importantly, it helps change a child’s life, especially now.

Please remember to mention Jamaica YES when donating or look for the Jamaica YES signs at each location so your contribution supports this mission. Because of your generosity, past drives have allowed us to expand our breakfast programs and reach more children. Together, we can keep the momentum going.

Thank you for helping us turn everyday items into brighter futures.

02/10/2026

Hello everyone,

Attached is our 2025 Year-End Newsletter, highlighting achievements and the many ways your donations, fundraising, volunteerism, and private support changed lives.

We want to thank you for the incredible difference you made. Because of your generosity, more than 1,000 underserved students across Jamaica received a daily nutritious breakfast this year, funding an extraordinary 192,280 meals that helped children start their day focused and ready to learn.

For 2026, let’s keep the momentum going. We are motivated to continue this important work together. Please take a moment to read the 2025 Year-End newsletter.

https://jamaicayes.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2025-Year-End-Newsletter.pdf

With sincere gratitude,

Jamaica YES

01/29/2026

Hurricane Melissa Recovery: An Update on Our Schools

On behalf of the Jamaica YES team, and most importantly, the children we serve, THANK YOU. Your generous support of the Melissa Hurricane Relief Fund is already at work.

We are committed to returning our schools to their pre-hurricane status as quickly as possible. To ensure your donations have the maximum impact, we are in constant communication with school principals to prioritize the most urgent needs.

While we are eager to move fast, it is important to note that all Primary Schools fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education (MOE). This means:
• The MOE must approve all repair and recovery actions.
• The MOE assigns project managers and selects all contractors.
• Because of the widespread devastation, these official processes may take longer than initially expected.

We’ve posted an impact map on our website showing the storm's approximate path and the specific locations of the schools we are assisting.

For the full update, recovery status by school, and to view the impact map, please visit: www.jamaicayes.org

Thank you everyone, we couldn’t do any of this without your support and generosity.