The effort was started after a discussion Wolfinger had with a group of eleventh graders-
Nathalie Bencie, Adrianna Troche and Zoe Gavette. With the help of the rest of their class, they put their efforts into creating a support system for Puerto Rico.
“With family members of some of the students living in Puerto Rico, we thought it would be a great idea to help,” Troche said. Both Troche and Bencie had family affected by the hurricanes, so they felt the need to help because of their ties with the territory.
Their first plan of action was to collect donations and materials from students to ship overseas to Puerto Rico. The fundraising group placed boxes within each social studies class, and students were encouraged to donate certain supplies most needed by the families in Puerto Rico. These necessities included baby food, diapers, batteries and pet food.
“We felt an obligation to help others in need. Adrianna and I are Puerto Rican, so helping them down there is super important to us,” Bencie said.
The fundraiser also raised money through a booth at the Pine View Fair, primarily run by Gavette. The booth consisted of a donations box, where students collected both supplies to send and money to pay for shipping costs. The group raised over $400, and with this money the group was finally able to start shipping off boxes to Puerto Rico.
The process to ship the 11 boxes that the group set up starts with the family members in the territory. Wolfinger and his students were planning on shipping them to Troche’s uncle who lives in Carolina, Puerto Rico, but because of transportation issues, PV 4 PR’s first load of supplies was sent through a private institution called Puerto Rico Hold On.
After dropping off the supplies at Puerto Rico Hold On’s outpost in Tampa, the supplies were sorted and then placed on an airplane headed for Puerto Rico. From there, the donations were distributed among towns on the island.
“Bringing aid to Puerto Rico is a responsibility for all Americans, especially since Puerto Rico has never been the wealthiest place, nor has it ever had the best infrastructure, hence why the hurricanes had such a devastating effect,” Bencie said.
The club is now putting their efforts into collecting more supplies and donations from the staff and students. They will be holding more fundraisers and events to hopefully send even more supplies to Puerto Rico.
“The sole reason as to why they’re able to survive is thanks to our help from the mainland, which is why we must continue to aid Puerto Rico until the territory is back on her feet again,” Bencie said. “This is the perfect opportunity for
students to experience first-hand what unifying really means.”