Our History

The Jamaica Outreach Program began in 1997 as a sister-parish project at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Naples, FL. Wally Kasputis, Father Thomas Glackin, then pastor at St. John’s and Father Burchell McPherson, then pastor at St. Pius X in Kingston, Jamaica founded The Jamaica Outreach Program. The original mission was to improve the well-being of the poor in the St. Pius X neighborhood in the slums of Kingston.

St. Pius X was on the verge of closing at that time, but it has since grown as a safe haven for the poor in that community. In the 1990’s, the old church was replaced with a new building, a medical-dental clinic was constructed, and job training programs were developed for young adults. In 2002, the Glackin-McPherson Food Pantry was operational, providing food to the elderly and indigent families in the area. The Eye Clinic’s equipment was updated in 2005. A new housing program was initiated in 2006, which has since funded hundreds of homes for indigent families. In 2006, Jamaica Outreach Program, Inc. was incorporated in the state of Florida as a non-profit organization and in 2007, received IRS approval as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt public charity. JOP also supports other schools in poor communities in or near Kingston: St. Benedict the Moore, African Martyrs of Uganda, St. Peter Claver.  In 2017 JOP added support for education, health and food programs in the Montego Bay Diocese.

We are a Guidestar Exchange Silver Participant. Visit  Guidestar’s review of JOP. 

Our Florida registration number is CH35318.  A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
Find out different ways to give here.