By Donald Wittkowski
Sea Isle City collected bottled water, food and other essential supplies over the weekend to send to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.
The Sea Isle Chamber of Commerce and Revitalization organized the hurricane relief drive to benefit the Puerto Rican village of San Lorenzo.
San Lorenzo, one of the areas crippled by Hurricane Maria on Sept. 20, has been struggling to recover after losing its electricity and running water.
The Chamber of Commerce brought in a large shipping container to collect hurricane relief supplies during Sea Isle’s Octoberfest celebration this weekend.
Water, nonperishable food, blankets, flashlights, batteries, diapers, personal hygiene items and paper products were among the items that were donated. Bags of dog and cat food were also collected.
Members of Boy Scout Troop 76 of Sea Isle helped to load the 40-foot-by-8-foot shipping container with supplies.
“People in Sea Isle have great sympathy for what the people of Puerto Rico are going through, knowing that their lives and livelihood have been destroyed,” said Christopher Glancey, Chamber of Commerce president.
Glancey’s trucking company, Polaris Intermodal Services, delivered the container from Sea Isle to Pennsauken, N.J., where it was to be transported by ship to San Lorenzo by Crowley Maritime Corp.
Polaris donated the $700 cost to truck the container between Sea Isle and Pennsauken. The Chamber of Commerce will pay the $3,350 shipping fee to get the supplies to San Lorenzo, said Al Iannelli Sr., president and co-owner of Polaris.
