Starting on Tuesday, Sept. 20, in line with the fifth annviersary of Hurricane Maria, there will be a donation box in the Wooster Hall Lobby for members of the New Paltz campus community to contribute to Hurricane Fiona relief.
Additional boxes will be available in the Service Building, Haggerty Administration Building, and the Atrium Food Court later this week.
Efforts are being organized by Associate Professor of Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Jessica Pabón, with support from Director of Student Accounts Niza Cardona, Contract Administrator for Facilities Management Elissa Greene, Department of Music Administrative Assistant Lee Degnan and Disability Resource Center Director Jean Vizvary.
Pabón will collect donations and, when mail service on the island is restored, will send them to communities in need through the nonprofit organizations Taller Salud and Brigada Solidaria del Oeste in Puerto Rico.
As of this writing, Hurricane Fiona has led to loss of cut power for an estimated 80% of of Puerto Rico’s 3.1 million residents. Almost 840,000 residents currently do not have running water, and there are at least three reported deaths.
All are welcome to submit items from the following list of priority items:
- Water purification tablets
- Solar lanterns
- Water filters
- First Aid kits
- Over the counter medications (Advil, Tylenol, Children’s Motrin, etc.)
- Basic necessities (adult diapers, baby diapers, feminine products, etc.)
- Disposable containers (compostable even better)
- Disposable cutlery (compostable even better)
- Nonperishable food
Clothing items are not permitted for donation at this time.
If you’d like to make a monetary donation, please see the lists below.
The organizers thank the campus community for solidarity and support of Puerto Rico in these difficult times.
For more information on how you can help, contact Pabon at pabonj@newpaltz.edu.
