Help Gabby's Family in Puerto Rico
Donation protected
I am a U.S. Citizen and native of Puerto Rico living in Massachusetts. As you all may have seen in recent news or on social media that over 3.5 million of our fellow U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico are fighting for survival due to hurricane Maria. It's an unprecedented catastrophic humanitarian situation. It is personally frustrating and heart-wrenching. This GoFundMe campaign is my way of trying to do something about my family's situation in Puerto Rico. I can't save them all alone. Anything you can give will be life-saving for them and those around them.
Currently, my father, siblings, my 94 year old frail grandmother, several aunts, uncles, and cousins are living in the barrio of Yaurel, located in the town of Arroyo alone. It is one of the more devastated areas in the southern part of the island in the path of hurricane Maria when it initially made landfall. This area is remote and mountainous. Many of my relatives have lost the roofs off their homes and sustained significant structural damage. Personal items have been destroyed by wind and or flooding. The crops from which they used to sustain themselves with prior to the hurricane are now ruined. That is my uncle in the picture above. He is one of several Puerto Ricans who has LOST EVERYTHING! Many of my family members would be considered homeless to mainland standards (couch surfing and in shelters).
There is no electricity and running water to drink or cook with. The food gathered prior for the hurricane is quickly running out. The mosquitos and heat are unbearable. They have consolidated themselves as best they could given this situation. It will take Puerto Rico time to regain order and rebuild its infrastructure. The electrical grid alone could take 6 months to a year for electricity and many more years to the stabalize the island. The available river water is limitated and or contaminated. Hunger and sickness are striking. Disaster aid slow.
Time is of the essence!
I am looking for your help to raise $10,000 to provide aid directly to my family members in Puerto Rico. Their neighbors will be sure benefit as well. We are a tight community and will do our best to care for one another. This money will be dispersed across 5 households at $2,000 per household. The money will be prioritized in purchasing food, urgent building materials, and generators to ensure that they are all safe from the elements and nourished while they wait for the country to stabilize.
Withdrawl of the funds will happen in two ways. Some of the funds will sent to them to spend directly in Puerto Rico through Western Union money transfers for those without banck accounts and bank transfers for those that do. Currently, there are shortages in prodcuts on the island or imposed limits on essentials which folks can acquire at the local stores. To get them what they can't get in Puerto Rico, I will also need to withdraw some of these funds in my name. Any funds I withdraw under my name will be used for the Western Union money transers, purchase of products in short supply and to cover the shipping costs of shipping these items via U.S Postal mail, UPS and or FedEx to Puerto Rico.
Please consider donating.
ANYTHING YOU CAN GIVE WILL HELP SAVE LIVES!
I have faith we can reach this goal together!
As funds come in I will update this page to keep you up to date on the needs you've help to supply by donating. Please share and help my campaign to raise these survival funds.
Thank you for helping my family!
-Gabby and Family
Currently, my father, siblings, my 94 year old frail grandmother, several aunts, uncles, and cousins are living in the barrio of Yaurel, located in the town of Arroyo alone. It is one of the more devastated areas in the southern part of the island in the path of hurricane Maria when it initially made landfall. This area is remote and mountainous. Many of my relatives have lost the roofs off their homes and sustained significant structural damage. Personal items have been destroyed by wind and or flooding. The crops from which they used to sustain themselves with prior to the hurricane are now ruined. That is my uncle in the picture above. He is one of several Puerto Ricans who has LOST EVERYTHING! Many of my family members would be considered homeless to mainland standards (couch surfing and in shelters).
There is no electricity and running water to drink or cook with. The food gathered prior for the hurricane is quickly running out. The mosquitos and heat are unbearable. They have consolidated themselves as best they could given this situation. It will take Puerto Rico time to regain order and rebuild its infrastructure. The electrical grid alone could take 6 months to a year for electricity and many more years to the stabalize the island. The available river water is limitated and or contaminated. Hunger and sickness are striking. Disaster aid slow.
Time is of the essence!
I am looking for your help to raise $10,000 to provide aid directly to my family members in Puerto Rico. Their neighbors will be sure benefit as well. We are a tight community and will do our best to care for one another. This money will be dispersed across 5 households at $2,000 per household. The money will be prioritized in purchasing food, urgent building materials, and generators to ensure that they are all safe from the elements and nourished while they wait for the country to stabilize.
Withdrawl of the funds will happen in two ways. Some of the funds will sent to them to spend directly in Puerto Rico through Western Union money transfers for those without banck accounts and bank transfers for those that do. Currently, there are shortages in prodcuts on the island or imposed limits on essentials which folks can acquire at the local stores. To get them what they can't get in Puerto Rico, I will also need to withdraw some of these funds in my name. Any funds I withdraw under my name will be used for the Western Union money transers, purchase of products in short supply and to cover the shipping costs of shipping these items via U.S Postal mail, UPS and or FedEx to Puerto Rico.
Please consider donating.
ANYTHING YOU CAN GIVE WILL HELP SAVE LIVES!
I have faith we can reach this goal together!
As funds come in I will update this page to keep you up to date on the needs you've help to supply by donating. Please share and help my campaign to raise these survival funds.
Thank you for helping my family!
-Gabby and Family
Organizer
Gabriela Soto
Organizer
Woburn, MA
