Jordan Avery, Stacia Frederick assist Salvation Army in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Fiona
Jordan Avery and Stacia Frederick of the Salvation Army Lynn Corps are being commended for their humanitarian efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Fiona which has had a devastating impact on the island and its residents.
Avery and Frederick traveled to Puerto Rico to assist the Salvation Army in food preparation and food distribution efforts that began soon after the Category 4 hurricane hit on Sept. 18.
Avery is well-known in Lynn for his work in the community. He is a certified emergency medical responder.
In Puerto Rico, Avery has been assisting in different aspects of the Salvation Army’s response. “I’m helping out and doing whatever is needed,” said Avery. “Yesterday, I was on the road driving two-and-a-half hours to the other side of the island to deliver food, work in the kitchen, and do some clean-up. The need is great, and the people are very appreciative of us being here and helping them.”
Frederick is in her first year in the Salvation Army Lynn Corps. “I joined to hopefully help other people in any way that I could,” said Frederick during a telephone interview. “Our effort is going well. A lot of our work has been cooking meals and preparing meals for people that don’t have any electrical power in their homes.”
Frederick said she was familiar with the Salvation Army’s noble efforts. “I had met with their emergency/disaster services, but I didn’t realize the extent of the help that they provide to people in the community after fires and other emergencies,” said Frederick, who has been donating clothes to the organization for several years. “The Salvation Army does great work. I love working with the other volunteers and meeting people from different states.”
‘Our Dedicated Volunteers’
Heather McFarlane, director of communications for the Salvation Army Massachusetts Division and public information officer for the Salvation Army’s Puerto Rico Response, recognized the dedication of Avery, Frederick, and the other volunteers.
“The Salvation Army is responding to meet the immediate needs of survivors and first responders after Hurricane Fiona ravaged Puerto Rico,” said MacFarlane. “Our dedicated volunteers were deployed to assist the team in Puerto Rico for two weeks as feeding needs have increased and we are providing other needs – ranging from hygiene and clean-up kit distribution, emotional and spiritual care, and other resources. The Salvation Army is still serving survivors and first responders. To date, we have served more than 20,000 individuals across the island. We’ll be here as long as it takes to help with the long-term recovery. Sometimes the recovery on the inside can be harder than the recovery on the outside.”