Some Puerto Ricans are still without power more than six months after Hurricane Maria devastated the island.
- Puerto Rican students thank Bay area students for supplies
- Morgan Fitzgerald Middle sent supplies to a school on the island
- PR students send a thank you video back to Morgan Fitzgerald
Many people in the Bay area continue to send support, and it’s not going unnoticed.
After the storm hit, staff and students from Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School’s Multicultural Advisory Committee started collecting supplies and donations.
Morgan Fitzgerald’s bilingual assistant Cindy Velazquez was born on the island. Much of her family still lives there. She remembers the fear she felt not being able to reach her loved ones after the hurricane hit.
"It took me about two weeks before I was able to reach and talk to my family, so it was really hard for me," Velazquez said.
Velazquez’s aunt works with special needs children at a school in Puerto Rico. The Multicultural Advisory Committee sent their donations straight to the students.
"Batteries and flashlights and sunscreen, water, all of the things we take for granted here every day," teacher Jacqueline Martin said.
"Young kids are very sweet and innocent, so just to see their love that they have is just amazing," teacher Ruth Malberg said.
The school in Puerto Rico was overwhelmed with appreciation and sent the Morgan Fitzgerald family heart shaped cards and a thank you video. It is a token of appreciation that Principal Anthony Francois said they will never forget.
"I got close to tearing up when I saw the video, it was just an amazing outpouring of gratitude and we saw that we were able to bring some comfort to a number of students," Francois said.
The school is currently collecting donations to send another shipment to Puerto Rico. If you’d like to help, contact Principal Francois at: FrancoisA@pcsb.org