Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Flores and the Dolphins send hurricane relief aid to Honduras
Coach Brian Flores and the Miami Dolphins have partnered with Publix and Sysco Corporation to send a 19,000-pound freight full of supplies to Honduras.
Flores, whose father Raul and late mother Maria are from Honduras, wanted to send as much help as they could to the Central American country still feeling the effects from Hurricane Eta, a Category 4 storm, and Hurricane Iota, a Category 5 storm, that devastated the region in November.
“We a flew a plane down there and just gave them some support, some things that they needed — a variety of things. They needed some support and we were happy to help,” Flores said of the freight transported by Spirit Airlines.
“I just think about the family I have down there — aunts, uncles, my Tía Chola, my Tío Bocho, Tío Paulito — all my family down there,” Flores added. “So I just think about them and to them, I just tell them I love them and I’m praying for them. Te quiero mucho (I love you so much) and we just try to keep supporting them.”
The Dolphins, who participate in several community enrichment causes through their Football
Unites program, used a connection with an Israeli consulate in South Florida to assist in reaching out to the Honduras Consulate in Miami.
Among the items sent were: prepared food items, water and water purification systems, medicines, blankets, personal protective equipment like hand sanitizer and gloves, hygiene products like soap, toilet paper and feminine products, clothing, bedding items and hardware supplies.
The Dolphins also plan to continue this partnership to send
more supplies to the area in the future.
“We’ll continue to help with them as needed,” said Jason Jenkins, Dolphins senior vice president of communications and community affairs.
“We plan on continuing to work with the consulate on this and the efforts they have.”
Flores, the second-year Dolphins coach, is one of two NFL coaches of Hispanic heritage, joined by Washington coach Ron Rivera, who is Puerto Rican and Mexican.