On 28 October 2025, Hurricane Melissa battered Southwestern Jamaica with a force stronger than Hurricane Katrina. 185 mph winds slammed against the South Coast of Jamaica mere miles from Bluefields, and the storm’s eye wall passed through the town. Families have lost everything. People are unaccounted for (largely due to a collapse in communication systems, reported deaths are still low), homes fell into the sea or were washed away. Lives will be forever changed. We are committed to helping the approx. 100 staff of Bluefields Bay Villas to recover. Please donate to allow us to distribute food and water, and to help them rebuild their homes and care for their families. We do not have much time to get families the support that they need – please, please help us.
Separately, we plan to spearhead general rebuilding in the community and region. We have lost critical infrastructure such as roads and schools. We have set-up a GoFundMe (https://gofund.me/48503c238), however they take large fees and take a month to distribute the funds. We do not have a month. Please consider sending money to the Bluefields Foundation directly (https://bluefieldsvillasfoundation.org/), a US and JA-registered charity under the name Bluefields Environmental Protection Association (EIN 27-1391451 and TRN 002-155-443) to support us in getting this work done quickly. For other methods to contribute, such as Venmo or Zelle, please see below:
To minimize transfer costs, we suggest the following methods to send money for both staff support and the general community fund:
- Venmo to @Rachel-Moncure (specify “staff support” or “community fund” in memo)
- Zelle to 202-415-5276 (legal name Mary Rachel Moncure on account, and this will go to the community fund unless otherwise specified by e-mail to r@rossmoncure.com)
- Wire or ACH to Bluefields Environmental Protection Association, and this will go to the community fund unless otherwise specified by e-mail to r@rossmoncure.com
Account Name: Bluefields Environmental Protection Association
Account Address: 726 N Washington St, Alexandria VA 22314 USA
Bank Name: Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company
Bank Address: 100 S Fairfax St, Alexandria, VA 22314 USA
Bank Telephone: 703-549-6600
Routing: 056001066 (for ACH or wire, B&H only has one routing number)
Account: 47106300
Donations to the Bluefields Foundation (d/b/a Bluefields Environmental Protection Association) are 100% tax deductible under U.S. laws, and no goods or services are received. You will receive a tax letter. Please help us. We cannot do this without you.
NOTE – the Bluefields Foundation board has voted to accept staff support into the Foundation as a designated fund. Given the extent of the disaster, and given that staff are supporting extended families too, it is appropriate to administer ALL support through the Foundation.
Gratefully, Rachel Moncure and the Bluefields team
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