1000 Meals Served Post-Earthquake

On Saturday, January 11th, our President and Co-Founder, Angelique Sina, visited the town of Guanica to help serve 1,000 meals with a group of chefs to the victims of the series of earthquakes that hit Puerto Rico in January 2020. Many of the people served had not had a hot meal since before the earthquakes hit and they expressed how hard it was to sleep in tents under the warm sun. 

Photos taken by our team on the ground in Puerto Rico after the series of earthquakes left immeasurable damage to property and mass displacement:

A damaged home in Puerto Rico from the earthquakes

Chefs serving meals to victims of the earthquakes in Puerto Rico

Our President, Angelique Sina, visiting sleeping quarters of the victims of the earthquakes in Puerto Rico

A damaged home from the earthquakes

Our President, Angelique Sina, with one of the chefs that helped serve meals

Angelique Sina speaking with one of the victims displaced after the earthquakes in Puerto Rico

Angelique Sina with the chefs, helping serving meals to the victims of the earthquakes

A damaged home from the earthquakes

A damaged home from the earthquakes

Read more about Angelique Sina’s account of the earthquakes here.

From Our President: On the Ground Post-Earthquakes

Our President an Co-Founder, Angelique Sina, in Puerto Rico serving food to the victims of the recent earthquakes.

I arrived in my home town to celebrate Three Kings Day, our special holiday that tributes the three wise men. That evening, we had our first earthquake. When I asked my Mom, what it was she responded, “The ground has been shaking for the last few months.” On January 7, the Southwest of Puerto Rico was struck by 6.4 magnitude earthquake, the strongest of a series of quakes and the most powerful to hit the island in over a century leading to an island-wide power outage, limited water service, and school closures.

Thousands of families are in shelters because their homes were destroyed or they fear of them collapsing while they sleep. Puerto Rico’s governor has declared a state of emergency. Thousands of students are out of school and at least 500 schools could collapse after the recent seismic activity. Due to school closures, thousands of students are not going to school. This is extremely worrisome as many schools have been closed due to Hurricane Maria in 2017. Families are once again living without power or access to clean water, sleeping in tents, under the sun and the 90-degree weather. Many without any hope of knowing if they will be able to return to their homes or how to rebuild it. Many homes were built informally and don't have insurance.

Our organization, Friends of Puerto Rico who supports the economic development of the people of Puerto Rico through entrepreneurial initiatives, education, and creating opportunities for women and girls has launched the SEEDS Fund.

Funds raised will be directed towards students that survived both Hurricane María and the recent earthquakes to allow for their education to carry on despite these unfortunate events. Your donations will allow us to continue our education programs, mentoring them and teaching them leadership and life skills. It will provide students an alternate safe location, healthy meals, school materials and supplies lost in the schools due to the earthquake. 

We invite you support our Facebook fundraiser to help women and children after the earthquake.