Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
‘Truly fantastic effort’
Coatesville Police Officer Jose Colon and his son hand-deliver donations from the public to assist Puerto Rico residents
COATESVILLE » Police Officer Jose Colon began a journey with a heavy heart and delivered supplies and hope to Puerto Rico residents following the devastation caused by recent hurricanes.
Colon asked Coatesville Police Chief John “Jack” Laufer and Sgt. Rodger Ollis if he could set up a bin in the lobby of the police station to collect donations as part of the hurricane relief for Puerto Rico. They agreed and used the department’s social media pages to inform the public.
“What started with a heavy heart, an idea and an empty box, ended with a full trailer and a journey to Puerto Rico to help hurricane survivors in need,” said Ollis, who added that the officers supported Colon’s outreach efforts for the cause.
The overflow of donations were kept safe off-site and eventually
stored in a warehouse when a larger space became necessary.
“So many people helped along the way,” Colon said. “I knew people liked to help and give … the response was overwhelming how people came together.”
A 45-foot long container filled with donations weighing 90,000 pounds was shipped, and Colon arrived with his son to sort the supplies into piles of hygiene products, food, water, etc. and distributed it. Another 20,000 pounds worth of canned foods were donated to the Salvation Army because the container was over the weight limit. The Salvation Army learned about Colon’s efforts, and shipped the cans to Puerto Rico allowing all 110,000 pounds of donations get to its initial destination. The plan originated as a donation collection for an organization to send to Puerto Rico, but the plan evolved and he raised $5,000 to ship the container. Despite any doubts about overseeing such a large project, he decided to travel to continue helping.
“I wanted to put the supplies directly into the hands of people to make sure it went where it was going,” Colon said. “It meant a lot to me just to be there and know that we made a difference in somebody’s life.”
Laufer presented Colon with a “you made a difference” award and a recognition letter. Laufer has a tradition of creating a coaster using the Coatesville Police Department patch, which he presented to Colon on Monday. He said it was a “truly fantastic effort” for one person to take ownership of the project.
“It says a lot about who he is as an individual,” Laufer said. “We’re lucky to have him here with the City of Coatesville working for us and working for citizens of the community.”
Colon arrived with supplies 50 days after the hurricane passed and by that point many people were running low on supplies. Cases of water were in such demand that shops sold them for $10. Colon said that people were grateful to see them and receive a case of water. They delivered canned goods over a conversation. One night they gathered the community for a cook-out of warm food which was followed by dancing. People left happy, he added.
“We went house to house, inviting the community to come out and be with us,” Colon said. “We ended up making a party out of it.”
Many people, including his family, were also housed in shelters. He noted that people would go to sleep early some nights because they are without electricity. Some areas have had power restored while other areas may be without electricity for up to two years.
“Everyone has gone through something down there,” Colon said, “because the hurricane hit practically the whole island.”
He was touched by a challenging experience when they found an area with 20 residents who were cut off from receiving help because the river took out a bridge. The volunteers tied rope to poles and they sent supplies via a pulley system.
They reached another house at the top of the hill where an 80-year-old woman lived by herself.
“I could see the look on her face, she was so happy to see somebody come up there and bring her a case of water and some food,” Colon said. “Just to see her face was priceless. It was one of the high points of our trip.”
Colon, who serves as a missionary with his church, said he has seen areas worse off and he returns home after the trip, but this was different because Puerto Rico is still home to him. While Colon resides in Pennsylvania, his dad and several relatives live in Puerto Rico. Colon was shocked by what he saw because it looked like a scene out a movie where a bomb was dropped.
“It was a sad experience at first. When you get there you’re used to seeing everything in place, everything going well. But when we got there, it was a shock to us. It was surreal,” Colon said. “We were glad to be in a position to be able to help.”
Because the trip changed his son’s perspective, his son, Jose, wants to return to help the residents rebuild and he plans to join his dad on mission trips. They agreed to return and help someone rebuild their home. Colon’s father lost his home too because of a damaged roof.