{"id":31367,"date":"2025-11-03T15:45:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T15:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/31367\/"},"modified":"2025-11-03T15:45:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T15:45:11","slug":"owner-of-tampa-restaurant-jerk-hut-is-collecting-items-for-hurricane-ravaged-jamaican","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/31367\/","title":{"rendered":"Owner of Tampa restaurant Jerk Hut is collecting items for hurricane-ravaged Jamaican"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ExteriorJerk Hut at 1241 E Fowler Ave. in Tampa, Florida. Credit: thejerkhut \/ Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

Hurricane Melissa slammed Jamaica last week and caused widespread damage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here in Tampa,\u00a0 the owner of four local Jamaican restaurants is partnering with Jamaican community organizations to collect supplies to help the island.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Andrew Ashmeade has owned Jerk Hut for 32 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He and his family live in central Jamaica. He says his family was spared the worst of the storm\u2019s damage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But many people he knows still can\u2019t get in contact with their family due to widespread power outages.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEven since today, they\u2019ve been calling me, you know saying that they\u2019re still reaching out to their loved ones and they haven\u2019t heard anything back yet,\u201d Ashmeade told WMNF.<\/p>\n

Ashmeade joined forces with CANDU and the Caribbean Cultural Association to accept donations at the Jerk Hut location on East Fowler Avenue.<\/p>\n

He is encouraging donations for things that are easily transportable and non-perishable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ashmeade says he hopes underserved communities can benefit from the supplies\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe this will open a door to, you know, where some good comes out of all of this bad,\u201d Ashmeade said.<\/p>\n

They are also looking for items for babies and the elderly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep praying for all of the people there and pray for a speedy, speedy recovery of the island,\u201d Ashmeade said.<\/p>\n

This post<\/a> first appeared at WMNF news, which is part of the Tampa Bay Journalism Project (TBJP), a nascent Creative Loafing Tampa Bay effort supported by grants and a coalition of donors who make specific contributions via the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you are a non-paywalled Bay area publication interested in TBJP, please email rroa@ctampa.com<\/a>. Support WMNF News by visiting the community radio station\u2019s station\u2019s support page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n

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