Caribbean Hurricane Relief

Since late December, Southern Puerto Rico has been trembling with earthquakes. There have been over 1,200, including a record-breaking 6.4 magnitude quake on January 7th - Puerto Rico’s strongest in over a century.  We are happy to report that although our Hurricane Maria recovery teams based out of Yabucoa felt tremors and lost power and water in the area, they were not directly impacted by the earthquakes. After a series of assessments, staff members have determined that the best way we can support earthquake response efforts at this time is to partner with other organizations on the ground who could use the helping hands of our concerned volunteers. For example - we have developed a satellite project, partnering with World Central Kitchen as they serve more than 9,000 meals a day to 90 locations in 11 municipalities. Volunteers are assisting in the preparation, cooking and serving of meals. We are continuing to evaluate relief efforts as they progress to determine if there are any additional ways we can help as our program rapidly approaches its close date. 

We continue to provide recovery assistance to homeowners in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico; addressing the unmet needs of homeowners still struggling to recover. In December, we hosted a Community Resource Fair, with the help of Saint Vincent De Paul, Salvation Army and SBP, where we welcomed over 200 families. The event was open to the public and local groups set up booths offering workshops and information on a number of recovery topics, from home repairs to mental and physical health. 

We are incredibly sad to be leaving Puerto Rico at the end of March - choosing to extend our program in spite of funding challenges we have faced was a decision rooted in the fact there were (and are) so many families in need of help, now over two years after the Hurricanes. We are grateful to have stayed as long as we have - Puerto Rico is truly a place we can call home. To date, we have completed 590 roofs, positively impacting the lives of over 7,800 people.

Your support of our efforts here and in other areas of the Caribbean over the past couple of years has meant so much to us. Your trust in our organization makes so much of this work possible!

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.