From Storm to Stall: WFP Cash Assistance Restores Middle Quarters’ Pepper Shrimp Tradition

For years, Donna has stood by the roadside in Middle Quarters, Jamaica, selling pepper shrimp which is a beloved delicacy synonymous with the area. Her stall was more than a business; it was a lifeline, a way to feed her family and carry forward a tradition that has made Middle Quarters famous across the island.

But when Hurricane Melissa struck, everything changed.

“I couldn’t buy shrimp, I couldn’t store anything, and nobody had money to buy,” Donna recalled. 

With her stock gone and sales at a standstill, her livelihood was suddenly out of reach.

The hurricane’s impact went beyond her stall. Middle Quarters sits just after Holland Bamboo, a stretch of road once lined with towering bamboo arches that formed a natural cathedral and drew tourists from near and far. Visitors would stop to admire the bamboo, then continue on to Middle Quarters to taste its legendary pepper shrimp. After Melissa, Holland Bamboo was destroyed. The tourists stopped coming, and with them went the steady stream of customers Donna relied on.

For Donna, the disaster was not just about lost shrimp, it was about lost culture, lost tourism, and lost opportunity.

That’s why receiving cash assistance from WFP was more than relief; it was a chance to rebuild. “When I got the money, I was so happy,” she said. “I could buy food for my home, but I could also buy shrimp again and start selling.”

With the support, Donna restocked her stall, returned to the roadside, and slowly began to restore what the hurricane had taken away. “This helped me restore my life,” she said.

 “I’m very thankful.”

Donna’s story shows the multilayered impact of disasters: how they disrupt livelihoods, erase cultural landmarks, and cut off communities from the flow of visitors and income. But it also highlights the power of cash assistance to restore dignity, choice, and hope.

For Middle Quarters, pepper shrimp remains a symbol of resilience. And for Donna, it is proof that even after devastation, traditions can endure, livelihoods can be restored, and life can begin again.

The Hurricane Melissa Cash Assistance Programme was made possible through the support from private and public partners including: Bank of America, The Government of Canada, CERF, ECHO, FCDO, Flex/ Twilio In, IDB and United States Government and others.