Benefit at Carlton church raised $4,200 for community in Puerto Rico
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CARLTON – There were more than 100 baskets up for raffle on Sunday at the Carlton United Methodist Church in a fundraiser for a community in Puerto Rico.
The benefit raised $4,200 for Moca, a town on the western side of Puerto Rico. The money is going to the Centro Cristiano Nueva Vision – the New Vision Christian Center in Moca. The church will then direct an outreach to the Moca community.
The Carlton church and a yoga class led by Pat Haines worked on the benefit. Betty Garcia Mathewson of Albion attends the yoga class and has family in Moca, which has suffered from the hurricane in September.
“There was a wonderful turnout,” Garcia Mathewson said. “People were very generous and loving. It is a testament to the human spirit.”
Even now, six weeks after the hurricane hit, 80 percent of the island doesn’t have electricity, one-quarter of Puerto Ricans still do not have access to potable drinking water and thousands remain homeless, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Sienna Garcia Mathewson, who has family in Puerto Rico, hugs Chris Sartwell during Sunday’s benefit at the church.
People are still welcome to send checks to the Carlton United Methodist Church, 1196 Archbald Road, Waterport, NY 14571. If someone sends a check to the church, they should note “PR Fundraiser.” The church will then wire the funds to the New Vision Christian Center in Moca.
