Caribbean Produce Exchange, Red Cross join to feed PR
Ángel Santiago talks with an American Red Cross officer to deliver relief.
The American Red Cross, Puerto Rico Chapter and food distributor Caribbean Produce Exchange (CPE) have partnered to distribute food and water to communities throughout the island.
“Our response has focused on providing water and food to families in need and the partnership with Caribbean Produce adds to the effort we make to provide this help to communities,” said Lee Vanessa Feliciano, regional executive of the American Red Cross Puerto Rico Chapter.
“Partnering with a local company has been instrumental in supporting the island’s economy while providing our service to families,” she said.
The goal is to deliver daily items to different communities. Each shopping bag consists of fruits, vegetables, milk, cereals, root vegetables, perishable foods, rice, pasta, and water, among others. The products vary according to the food available each day, and the bag is designed to provide food for a family of four.
“Our main objective with this alliance is to reaffirm our commitment to the Puerto Rican community, contributing in the best way we can during this crisis,” said Ángel Santiago, President of CPE.
“We have collaborated with the American Red Cross since the day after the hurricane, to support with the resources they need in terms of logistics and storage,” Santiago said.
“As partners and allies of the Red Cross, we contribute the knowledge and experience to streamline the supplies the Red Cross distributes. They determine the daily routes with their staff to reach all corners of the island in an agile and safe way,” Santiago added.
Currently, more than 150 CPE employees work in this alliance to support the packaging and delivery work throughout the island. The American Red Cross has more than 550 volunteers and employees active in the response and has distributed food by serving more than 1.5 million provisions to affected families.
