September 29 – Mayor Brown stated, “The city of Buffalo is the proud home to a large and growing Puerto Rican community and this has been a difficult few weeks for many of our neighbors who have yet to hear from their loved ones in Puerto Rico. I thank Buffalo residents for rallying together to assist those in need, particularly the victims of Hurricane Maria. As the City of Good Neighbors, we understand the importance of helping out those in need and I think when Puerto Rico sees our positive response, they’ll know for sure that Buffalo is here for them and have our full support.”
On Wednesday, September 20, 2017, catastrophic, category 4 Hurricane Maria made direct impact across the entire island of Puerto Rico. It left the entire island without electricity and knocked down cell towers, stopping all communications and other major damage.
Mayor Byron W. Brown, in partnership with Western New York Latino Leaders, have come together to assist the victims of Hurricane Maria, and established The Puerto Rico Hurricane Maria Relief Fund to help provide both immediate and on-going support to the residents of Puerto Rico.
Multiple donation centers have been set up to collect items for emergency relief from Monday, September 25 to – at least - Friday, October 6. Locations include Buffalo City Hall, County Buildings, ECC, as well as the Belle Center at 104 Maryland St. (8am-6pm) and St. Anthony’s Church at 306 Ingham Ave. Lackawanna (10am-12pm and 2-4pm), and a number of Buffalo City Schools. Once these desperately needed items have been collected, they will be transported to the Connecticut Street Armory and, as arranged by Governor Andrew Cuomo, will then be flown to Puerto Rico.
The following is a list of much-needed supplies: batteries, flashlights, candles, paper products, matches, lighters, manual can openers, canned food, dry foods, protein bars, baby formula, pet food, tarps, blankets, AM/FM portable radios, portable lanterns, diapers, baby wipes, cases of water and feminine hygiene products. All items must be unopened and in their original packaging. Please DO NOT donate clothing or perishable items, those will not be taken.
Other donation options include: a bank account, managed through the Belle Center, has been established at M & T Bank. Tax-deductible donation checks may be made payable to the Puerto Rico Hurricane Maria Relief Fund.