By Seth Daniel
Margarita Nievez spent Monday morning folding sheets and clothing destined for New Jersey and eventually Puerto Rico. The day prior, she and others had assisted in loading rice onto pallets.
The previous Thursday evening brought a vigil at City Hall, followed by food collection efforts. Trucks supplied by Teamsters Local 25 transported that collected food toward Puerto Rico.
Staying occupied helps Nievez manage her anxiety about her home island, devastated by two hurricanes this month, with Hurricane Maria striking on Sept. 20 being the most recent.
“It feels good to help here and not think about it,” Nievez explained on Monday while folding a sheet at the Chelsea Collaborative. “They are suffering down there from not having food and water. They could be dying now.”
Tears began to form as she returned to her task.
Family members of Nievez live in Ponce and Comerio, among other areas that experienced direct hurricane damage.
“I haven’t heard anything from any of them,” she remarked. “I don’t know where they are.”
Maria Figueroa’s sister resides in Mayaguez, and Figueroa has found it heartening to witness how quickly Chelsea’s community mobilized to provide assistance.
Chelsea has historically maintained one of the largest per capita Puerto Rican populations in the Northeast, making the hurricane’s impact particularly significant for many residents.
Chelsea Police officers and Public Works personnel worked at the Collaborative on Monday, racing to complete loading before a tractor trailer’s 3 p.m. arrival.
Thousands of pounds of food filled a hallway.
“I’ve been here doing something from last week until now,” Figueroa noted. “Thank God everyone is helping each other. Different cultures and different races are all coming together.”
During the loading process, David Rodas arrived with rice bags, water, and canned goods.
“I’m not even Puerto Rican,” he stated. “I’m from El Salvador, but we’re all humans and I see people in need. This is what you do.”
According to Collaborative Director Gladys Vega, remaining active has provided relief for herself and others including Nievez and Figueroa.
“It’s a way of them coping with what they see on TV,” Vega explained. “They don’t want to sit around the house and not do anything and not know what’s happening. So, I’ve had a lot of people who have showed up and wanted to help since last week. They fold clothes, organize food, or whatever they can do.”
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Margarita Nievez folds a sheet at the Chelsea Collaborative on Monday while Leanna Cruz organizes clothing in the background. Many Chelsea residents who have family in Puerto Rico haven’t heard any news of their whereabouts since the devastating Hurricane Maria struck on Sept. 20. To cope, they keep busy.