Humanitarian Mission in Puerto Rico
LGW Helps Rebuild Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria
After helping hundreds of families in Texas and Florida, victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the Legion of Good Will (LGW) continued its solidarity road map with the goal of alleviating the suffering of thousands of families in Puerto Rico, who still suffer from the damage caused by the passage of Hurricane Maria - even after nearly three months of the devastation. In the second week of December, the LGW relief team distributed more than 10 tons of supplies (water, non-perishable food, hygiene supplies, first aid kits, etc.) to about 1,500 families in Mambiche, Mariana and Tejas, in Humacao, about 60 km from San Juan, the capital.
The wind force and floods caused by the hurricane devastated several towns of the Caribbean island, and so far only 30 percent of its residents have regained electricity. Because of this, the help provided by volunteers is even more difficult to reach out to these people, many of them with mobility problems, elderly and children. In order to facilitate this work, the local army provided a truck for the LGW's staff and volunteers, with which, it was possible to reach families that had not yet received any kind of assistance so far.
"Thanks to the use of a truck we were able to climb hills, arriving in places of difficult access and, therefore, we found families that were literally praying for help. One of the most striking cases was that of a mother who, seeing us from the distance, left the car where she was with her three children - one with special needs - and, crying, told us that she left her house destroyed and was living in her car for a few days, hoping for a miracle. Upon receiving the supplies, it was possible to see her relief with a smile, "says Adriana Rocha, who was part of the LGW’s Puerto Rico team.
The LGW’s mission was supported by humanitarian organizations, volunteers from New York and New Jersey, Seabras Supermarket, NJ HIIT, and JetBlue airlines, which once again expressed solidarity with the staff and donations collected.
Humanitarian Help
The LGW's Disaster Relief campaign seeks to alleviate the suffering of communities affected by natural disasters in several countries or in situations of extreme vulnerability. Hardly the team has returned from Puerto Rico, and is already mobilized to assemble hundreds of food baskets to be distributed before Christmas to families in-need in the community.
