Dear Friends,

On Christmas 2009, my grandmother gifted me a handwritten letter that began with the words, "I write to you from Puerto Rico, beloved land where I was born, and by legacy yours as well." After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico – and after several weeks of trying desperately to reach family and friends scattered across the island – I pulled out her letter and reflected on the responsibility of this legacy. I knew then that I needed to relocate permanently to Puerto Rico and dedicate myself to help our people on the island heal and recover. Fortunately, my journey is not one I shared alone.

As the Hispanic Federation’s Senior Director of Puerto Rico Operations, I have seen first hand how individuals from throughout our nation, and representing all walks of life, have taken up the cause of Puerto Rico. In fact, more than 200,000 people have given to the Federation’s Unidos Fund to support our fellow American citizens on the island.

Today marks six months since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. And I’m proud to affirm that together we have accomplished amazing things:

• We have delivered over 6,000,000 pounds of food, water and other emergency supplies to families in all 78 municipalities across Puerto Rico.
• We’ve provided more than 700,000 individuals in Puerto Rico with water filtration systems, medical support, meals, solar lamps, mosquito nets and other essential supplies and services.
• And with Puerto Rico’s long-term recovery in mind, we have invested $15 million dollars in grassroots nonprofits and recovery projects that are helping people rebuild their lives on the island.

Yet we all know the work is far from over. Far too many of our families and communities on the island remain without electricity, jobs, adequate housing and clean sources of drinking water. By continuing to give, you will help us continue responding to the unmet needs I see daily in Puerto Rico.

Donate to the Hispanic Federation as we rebuild Puerto Rico and support the thousands of families still in need. Your donation of $25, $50, or $100 or more will go directly to support critical programs today and tomorrow.

Last week I met Judy, a community leader from Yauco who described her frustration with FEMA as she stood on a roofless platform that was once her kitchen and living room. She had visited the FEMA office for months to ask that they inspect the destruction in her community – where over 40 homes and the surrounding farms were entirely lost or badly damaged.

Most recently I visited our newest grantee, La Maraña, at their project site in Las Palomas, Comerio. Six months after Maria, the community remains totally in the dark and some pockets are still without water. Despite this massive failure on the part of government recovery efforts, the residents are using the daylight hours to work together and reimagine a brighter future for their community.

I am immensely proud of the incredible things your support to the Hispanic Federation has made possible. We are providing families with water filtration systems so they can have clean water to drink, giving seeds and grants to farmers so they can stay in their farms and repairing badly damaged homes in some of the most vulnerable communities on the island. We are funding mental health programs for children who have lost everything and are experiencing post-traumatic stress. We are providing grants to rebuild and solarize community health clinics. But there is still so much to do and Puerto Rico needs us here for the long haul. Its recovery will be our legacy, and I’m glad we’re standing together.

Siempre,

Charlotte Gossett Navarro
Senior Director of Puerto Rico Operations
Hispanic Federation