The night before Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, Theresa Crandall exchanged messages with her friend, Connie Velez, who was living there, to tell her she was praying for Velez and her family. In the morning, Crandall woke up and read about the state of the island, which was completely out of electricity. “I thought of all the people in Puerto Rico who must have been feeling distraught, stunned and helpless,” she says. Crandall, who has been volunteering since she was a teenager, knew she wanted to help mobilize efforts and came across a Facebook post by Jorge Gonzalez of New Jersey, which said Operation Help Puerto Rico was in effect. Gonzalez was willing to travel to pick up donations and had a means of getting them to the island. Crandall then shared information on social media, with her church, the Puertorrican Culture Preservation in Allentown and the Puerto Rican Beneficial Society in Bethlehem. Many organizations wanted to help and, thanks to Gonzalez, now had a way to get the materials to Puerto Rico.
Social media caused a domino effect. A friend of Crandall's in Virginia sent emergency food containers to Gonzalez and a cousin from New York donated as well. “We wanted to get the essentials sent out to the island as soon as possible, with the least amount of red tape to let the people know that help was coming and to keep hope alive,” says Crandall.
She also notes that she does not want this recognition to be about her but rather that she is fortunate to live among generous givers. “I am very proud to represent the friends and neighbors in my community who came together and wanted to be a part of helping our neighbors in Puerto Rico,” she says. “Community expands beyond the area we live in.”
