WATERBURY, CT (WFSB) – It’s been a week since Hurricane Fiona wreaked havoc in Puerto Rico.
The island is still cleaning up from the disaster.
In Waterbury, a woman who’s responded to disasters there before is working to help again.
She’s starting up a non-profit of her own.
Denise Martinez is no stranger to helping Puerto Rico recover from a disaster, especially dealing with large amounts of donations.
With a non-profit, she wants to make sure donors know where their charity is going.
Denise went to Puerto Rico to help when Hurricane Maria hit five years ago.
She also went when earthquakes recently rocked the island.
In the aftermath of the earthquakes, she worked with her friend Sodelis Garcia to get donations in Anasco and the surrounding area. She took pictures along the way, to show donors how their donations were being put to use.
Denise is working with her friend Sodelis again, to bring help to that area once more. She said the approach will be similar to keep donors in the loop.
“When we were going out in the earthquake, we were taking pictures, not that I’m, we’re giving like, oh look at who I’m feeding. But kind of like letting people know, who did send over items, there was a lot of people in this community who donated items and people around her community, just letting them know it got to people,” said Denise.
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