Mano Amiga program assigns $250K to nonprofits in quake-affected areas
The Mano Amiga program, the social responsibility effort of the Plaza Las Américas Foundation and the Plaza Del Caribe Foundation, will accept requests for donations from nonprofit entities until Mar. 31, 2020.
The program will be focused on addressing the special needs of residents in the south and southwest region of Puerto Rico, affected by the recent earthquakes. After an evaluation process, up to $250,000 will be awarded among the selected organizations, foundation officials said.
For this cycle only, Mano Amiga will focus on supporting programs run by nonprofit organizations in the areas of education, mental health, housing rehabilitation and infrastructure improvement.
The project for which donations are requested must be aimed at providing services in those program areas in one or more of the municipalities included under the major disaster declaration approved by the federal government: Ponce, Guánica, Guayanilla, Yauco, Peñuelas, Utuado, Adjuntas, Cabo Rojo, Corozal, Jayuya, Lajas, Lares, Maricao, San Germán, San Sebastián and Villalba.
“The Mano Amiga program was initially created to meet the needs of nonprofit organizations that offer services in education, arts and culture, environment and social welfare,” said Lorraine Vissepó, communications director of Empresas Fonalledas, affiliate of both foundations.
“However, upon seeing the pressing needs of our people in the south, we decided to create a special edition of Mano Amiga to support their pressing needs,” she said.
“The August edition will again meet the original needs of Mano Amiga and will cover both the extended metro region and the southern region,” she explained.
