EAST MEADOW, N.Y. / Oct. 25, 2017 – Will Miranda was only six when he left his native Puerto Rico for the United States, but he never lost touch with his birthplace.
The broker/owner of Weichert, Realtors® – Madison Pierce in East Meadow visited his grandparents in Puerto Rico every summer growing up.
So it comes as no surprise then that Miranda, like many Puerto Ricans living in the Tri-State area, was at a loss for words after seeing news reports about the devastation in his native land caused by Hurricane Maria – especially in his hometown of Aguadilla, one of the hardest hit areas on the island.
Wanting to help, Miranda flew down to Puerto Rico to assist with the relief efforts. Once there, he saw the hurricane’s aftermath; it was overwhelming.
“What I saw on the news before going down there doesn’t even begin to come close to what I witnessed in-person,” said Miranda, who brought generators and 10 boxes filled with baby food, bottled water, flash lights, solar lights, batteries and other emergency supplies for residents of the island, many of whom have been without power for weeks.
Miranda was also frustrated with the pace of the relief efforts and the difficulties of getting food, water and other supplies to the island’s outer areas like Aguadilla. So the East Meadow resident decided to take matters into his own hands.
While still down in Puerto Rico, Miranda began reaching out to other Weichert® franchise offices on Long Island as well as several high schools and gyms near East Meadow to coordinate drop-off sites for donated goods. He also started making arrangements for several shipments of the donated items to his native Puerto Rico over the next month, with the next taking place Nov. 2.
“The folks that live in hard to reach areas like Aguadilla need the most help,” added Miranda, who will be back in Puerto Rico when the next shipment arrives to coordinate the distribution of items. “They have nothing right now. I’m doing whatever I can to get them some basic essentials to help cope with this disaster.”
Donated items, such as baby formula, diapers, batteries, flashlights, solar-powered lanterns, toiletries, hand sanitizer, protein bars and bottled water, can be dropped off at the following locations:
Weichert, Realtors® – Madison Pierce
557 Newbridge Road, East Meadow, NY
Mon. thru Sun. between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. / 516-731-7171
Weichert, Realtors® – Performance Homes
847 Fulton Street, Farmingdale, NY
Mon. thru Sat. between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. / 516-845-4700
Weichert, Realtors® – Family Tree
43 Mineola Boulevard, Mineola, NY
Mon. thru Fri. between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. / 516-741-0800
Weichert, Realtors® – Quality Homes
1860 Grand Avenue, Baldwin, NY
Mon. thru Fri. between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. / 516-867-3508
Weichert, Realtors® – Cow Harbor Realty
67 Main Street, Northport, NY
Mon. thru Sat. between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
East Meadow High School
101 Carman Avenue, East Meadow, NY
Tresper Clarke High School
740 Edgewood Drive, Westbury, NY
World’s Gym East Meadow
1940 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow, NY
Mon. thru Fri. between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty
342 Wheatley Plaza, Greenvale, NY
Mon. thru Fri. between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. / 516-626-7600
Miranda is also working on raising financial support for hurricane survivors in Puerto Rico. He set up a You Caring fundraising page to collect donations. To make a donation to Miranda’s “Efforts for Puerto Rico” campaign, visit www.youcaring.com/community-963361.
Weichert, Realtors® – Madison Pierce is an independently owned and operated Weichert affiliate. The office serves Nassau County as well as eastern parts of Queens.
For more information about the “Efforts for Puerto Rico” relief campaign or Weichert, Realtors® – Madison Pierce, located at 557 Newbridge Road in East Meadow, contact Will Miranda at 516-731-7171 or visit www.weichertmadisonpierce.com.
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About Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc.: Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. has grown steadily since Jim Weichert, president, chairman and CEO of Weichert Companies, launched the company’s franchise division in 2001. The affiliate division was created to offer a business model for franchisee ownership candidates described as “a clearly defined operating system for marketing and managing a real estate business.” Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. announced its first affiliate in 2002, was ranked as one of the top traditional residential real estate franchises in Entrepreneur’s 2017 Franchise 500 and was identified in 2017 by Franchise Business Review as one of the top U.S. franchises. Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. has offices serving over 300 markets in 39 states. For more information about Weichert, visit Weichert.com or for information on franchise opportunities visit WeichertFranchise.com.
Each WEICHERT® franchised office is independently owned and operated.
