Feeling At Home: Local organization aids displaced Puerto Ricans, other groups

On the island of Puerto Rico, the biggest holiday is Three Kings Day, or Dia de los Tres Reyes Mago. Children go to bed excited on the night of Jan. 5 in anticipation of the gifts that will appear for them to open on Jan. 6. The holiday is timed with the Christian holiday of the epiphany, or the visit from the three gift-giving wise men to the Christ child, and takes place 12 nights after Christmas.

In Brevard County, 300 people came together to celebrate the holiday in traditional style this January — with gifts, Spanish carols and plenty of food. It represented so much more, though, as part of ongoing support for families building new lives in Brevard.

“It was a reminder of home for those who came and a really nice tradition to spend together,” said Sam Lopez, co-founder of the Puerto Rican Relief Fund in Brevard and founder of the Florida Puerto Rican Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the group that hosted the event.

The Puerto Rican Relief Fund in Brevard was established in 2017 following Hurricane Maria. The local outreach program has helped 260 families find housing, jobs, and schools and get settled in with food, household goods and more.

The Three Kings Day event, in its third year, aimed to continue support for those Puerto Rican families who came to Brevard following the natural disaster on their home island. Gifts for children were donated from a variety of individuals and businesses, while Brevard Adult Education donated the venue and Coconuts on the Beach donated the food for the children. A representative from Burlington Coat Factory was on hand to provide clothing and shoes, and Illusions Party Rental donated the decor.

“The outpouring of support since we launched the relief fund efforts has been really great to see,” Lopez said.

The local Puerto Rican Relief Fund headquarters at the Orlando-Melbourne International Airport opened on Oct. 3, 2017 — just a week after devastating Hurricane Maria hit the island. Former Melbourne Councilwoman Teresa Lopez helped the organization establish the hangar donation site so there would be a central location to sort, package and deliver donations to Puerto Rico.

So many donations came in that the Puerto Rican Relief Fund set up a county donation site, the Tikkun Olam Community Action Center, to house clothing, supplies and other items for ongoing assistance for displaced families — from Puerto Rico and other places, too.

The assistance did not stop at goods, however. The local group helped families find housing, jobs, schools and even cars, plus navigate government agencies like FEMA, DCF, WIC and child support offices.

Margarita Chavez is a volunteer with the relief fund who has personally helped 195 families displaced from Hurricane Maria, from picking people up from the airport to helping them fill out FEMA assistance paperwork and translating.

“Many people came to Brevard because they had family already here and others because they heard this was a good place to bring their families,” Chavez said.

For more information on the Puerto Rican Relief Fund or to make a donation, call 321-863-5165 or visit www.UTBunitedthirdbridge.com.

Needed Donation Items

• Clothing for men, women and children
• Hygiene products
• Blankets, towels and pillows
• Medical supplies/First Aid kits
• Baby supplies and items
• Household cleaners and products
• Feminine products
• Paper goods
• Water
• Canned food and non-perishable items
• Pet food and supplies
• Laundry detergents and bleach
• Cots, sleeping bags and tents
• Handicap supplies and equipment
• School supplies and backpacks
• Insect repellent and sunscreen

Businesses and organizations supporting the Puerto Rican Relief Fund:

Brevard Adult Education, LaborMax Staffing, Burlington Coat Factory, Envoy Aviation, Eastern Florida State College, Thriftys Meat & Produce, East Coast Alarms, HealthFirst, Pepsi, Illusion Party Rental, BJs, PHS Roofing, Hyundai of Melbourne, Bravo, Career Source of Brevard, Crane Creek/The BACK Center, CMS Tree Services, All Safe and Secure Alarms, El Iglesia Sinai, Ryan Crawford, C&J Feed Store and Nuyorican IT Consulting Services.

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