Waste Management is contributing $50,000 to two South Florida charities – Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center in Miami and Food For The Poor in Coconut Creek - to support relief and rebuilding efforts in Haiti following Hurricane Matthew.
Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti on October 4 as a Category 4 hurricane, the strongest storm to hit the island nation since Hurricane Cleo in 1964, and the third strongest ever to make landfall in Haiti. The death toll was more than 1,000 and 1.4 million citizens were left in need of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.
Waste Management was pleased to present a check for $20,000 to Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center for Hurricane Matthew recovery and rebuilding: From left: Miami Dade County Commissioner Audrey Edmondson; Mayor Carlos Gimenez; Chairman Jean Monestime; Vice Chairman Esteban Bovo Jr.; Waste Management Government Relations Manager Jason Neal; Commissioner Xavier Suarez; Sant La Executive Director Gepsie Metellus; and Commissioners Jose “Pepe” Diaz; Sally Heyman; Rebeca Sosa; Daniella Levine Cava and Barbara Jordan.
Waste Management is donating $20,000 to Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center in Miami to support its Hurricane Matthew relief efforts.
“We partner with a variety of non-profit organizations in Haiti that are providing food, shelter and ongoing medical care to those impacted by Hurricane Matthew,” said Sant La Executive Director Gepsie Metellus. “The needs of the Haitian people are great, and we rely on generous corporate partners like Waste Management to help us in our work in Haiti and in the Haitian-American community here in the Miami area.”
Waste Management’s $30,000 contribution to Food For The Poor will be part of the organization’s campaign to “Build 1,000 Homes in 100 Days” following the hurricane.
“We are moving quickly to repair existing homes and build new ones so that families impacted by Hurricane Matthew can recover and have hope for a better future,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor.
Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Waste Management committed $250,000 to emergency response efforts and long-term rebuilding projects through World Vision, Habitat for Humanity and to build new homes in Food For The Poor’s Inspiration Village.
Nearly 500 employees of Haitian descent work for Waste Management in Florida alone.
“Waste Management has long provided emergency relief and rebuilding support to communities touched by tragedy in the United States as well as in Haiti,” said Dawn McCormick, Director of Community Affairs for Waste Management Inc. of Florida. “We are very pleased to partner with Food for the Poor and Sant La to bring needed resources to the Haitian people and help them recover and rebuild following Hurricane Matthew.”
ABOUT FOOD FOR THE POOR, INC.
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
ABOUT SANT LA HAITIAN NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER
SantLa's mission is to empower, strengthen and stabilize South Florida's Haitian community, through access for free services and resources, to ensure its successful integration.
ABOUT WASTE MANAGEMENT
Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading developer, operator and owner of landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more information about Waste Management visit www.wm.com or www.thinkgreen.com.