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In-Brief

Urban Edge Properties heads relief work in Puerto Rico

Urban Edge Properties recently participated alongside NCSY Relief Missions, a Northern New Jersey-based youth organization, and JLL (Jones Lang Lasalle) Puerto Rico in an community engagement effort to help those most affected by recent hurricane damage.

Urban Edge owns more than 1 million square feet of property on the island and is committed to providing local support to all the communities where its properties are located, it stated.

Sixteen students from northern New Jersey public schools were chosen to represent NCSY Relief Missions on this humanitarian trip alongside a contingency from Urban Edge, including employees from its home office in New Jersey and the local Property Management team.

Together, the group helped restore homes, expedite post-storm cleanup, and provide support to families in Toa Baja, Bayamon, Carolina, and San Juan.

“Our property teams in Puerto Rico and the mainland are committed to building and enhancing community not only through our real estate and the essential retail it provides, but also by taking action to assist those who are in need,” said Etan Bluman, senior vice president of Finance and Investor Relations of Urban Edge.

“Partnering with our neighbors and becoming a source of support and important resources is a critical part of our corporate culture and ESG initiatives. This program, working alongside teens from our home state of New Jersey in support of our Puerto Rico community members in need, is a clear representation of this commitment,” Bluman said.

In recent years, NCSY Relief Missions has become one of the most prominent providers in the Jewish community of service missions for teens to areas affected by natural disasters. The office runs multiple missions each year in affected areas around the country that need assistance in rebuilding, such as Puerto Rico, New Orleans, the Carolinas, Kentucky, and others.  

“This year NCSY Relief Missions is conducting 45 humanitarian missions with [more than] 1,000 teenage participants volunteering in various communities across the U.S. to help those in need,” said Ethan Katz, director of NCSY Relief Missions. 

“We were thrilled to have Urban Edge join us on this mission and educate our volunteers about ESG and its growing significance,” he said. 

In conjunction with the mission, Urban Edge, owner of two major shopping centers in Puerto Rico, utilized its malls to support the overall efforts via a school supplies drive entitled “Give a Smile for the Future of Puerto Rico.” 

The group, together with JLL Puerto Rico, packed and prepared for donation an estimated $20,000 worth of school supplies which were collected by Las Catalinas Mall and The Outlets at Montehiedra for this initiative. 

In addition to supplies collected from the public at each mall, the company received school supply contributions from JLL Puerto Rico, Velocicharge, Pietrantoni Méndez & Álvarez, and Banco Popular de Puerto Rico. 

Urban Edge is working directly with the Puerto Rico Department of Education and its Secretary Eliezer Ramos to identify schools hit the hardest by recent disasters, including Hurricane Fiona, to receive the donated supplies.  

“As a global company with a strong commitment to Puerto Rico, we have the responsibility to support socially responsible efforts,” said Andy Carlson of JLL Puerto Rico. “As part of our values, JLL Puerto Rico is committed to initiatives like this one that support the Island during challenging times and that promote education for a better future for our local communities.” 

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This story was written by our staff based on a press release.
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