Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
Aurora’s police and fire departments have teamed up with the Puerto Rican Fraternal Order Lodge to provide relief for those in need in hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.
On Wednesday, collection sites opened at the police department’s main headquarters at 1200 E. Indian Trail Road as well as at all Aurora fire stations and the Puerto Rican lodge at 306 W. Union St. where nonperishable goods, baby care items, cleaning supplies and more will be temporarily stored.
Alvin Soto, an evidence technician for the Aurora Police Department, said he and others including Puerto Rican Lodge member Eddie Perez are more than anxious about the short- and long-term wellness of those affected by the hurricane in Puerto Rico, including their own family and friends living there.
Perez, a retired Batavia police officer, said that he too has “pretty much the same collection of family in Puerto Rico” as Soto and agreed that one of the problems “isn’t about the collection of supplies, but how to get them there.”
“The thing is, it could take two to six months before these supplies get down there and so we’re looking at something long term, which is why things have to be nonperishables as they could sit there a while,” Perez said.
Ray Torres of the Aurora Fire Department said he has two brothers as well as nieces, aunts and uncles currently living in Puerto Rico but that local efforts are certainly for everyone living down there as they are our fellow Americans who need help.
“The logistical problems we may face are nothing compared to what people there are going through,” Torres said. “There may be some frustration on our part, but it really pales in comparison. This is not going to be a short recovery and people’s lives there are unimaginable compared to ours here as people just go about their daily business. Our supplies need to be (collected on an ongoing basis), and there is going to be more than one shipment.”
Collection of donations will continue through Oct. 4. For more information, visit the Puerto Rican Fraternal Order Lodge’s Facebook page.
