What’s the best way to help Surfside condo collapse victims?
Food, water, blankets, phone chargers and many other items came pouring in shortly after the 12-story Champlain Towers South tumbled last week.
Now, those on the ground helping victims and families say the best way to contribute isn’t by going through your pantry. It’s with cash to reputable organizations.
“Thank you for your many generous donations,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said during a Monday evening update. “It’s making a difference and the families are getting assistance today. This is truly monumental and so, so important to them and to us.”
Levine Cava said the Support Surfside fund — a collaboration of the Miami Heat, the Miami Heat Charitable Fund, the Coral Gables Community Foundation, the Key Biscayne Community Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Miami Foundation — raised more than $1.6 million by Monday.
By Wednesday, Support Surfside said the fund has raised more than $2 million. In a Wednesday Twitter post, The Miami Foundation wrote that there had been more than 9,500 donors, and it has distributed financial support to more than 62 people at “the center of the crisis.”
“We will be there today, tomorrow, and as long as support is needed,” the post read.
Melissa White, executive director of the Key Biscayne Foundation, said $155,000 was given to eight organizations that she described as “boots on the ground.”
Families also began receiving $500 gift cards to help them buy essentials.
“I think what happens when you see tragedies like this, is the inherent nature is trying to do something to help,” she said.
But, White explained, collecting and distributing goods takes “a lot of resources and staffing.”
“Right now, the concentration is on search and recovery,” she said.
Michelle Labgold, the chief operating officer for the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, said organizations are coordinating on need.
“The most effective way to help in the short-term is a monetary contribution,” she said.
Late Monday, the Town of Surfside shared a list of donations, resources and volunteer opportunities.
While the South Florida Region of the American Red Cross is grateful for all the support and help offered, it asks people to stop sending stuffed animals, blankets, clothing and household goods, Regional Communications Director Siara Campbell wrote in an email to the Miami Herald.
“It takes time and money to store, sort, clean and distribute these items, which diverts limited resources away from helping those most affected. In the days ahead, we will continue to coordinate with local officials and community partners to determine how we can best support the Surfside community during this time of need,” Campbell wrote.
“At this time, the Red Cross has what it needs to assist people impacted and is not accepting financial donations specifically for this tragedy.”
The Red Cross is providing emergency hotel lodging for more than 30 residents and others who are displaced following the collapse, Campbell wrote. More than 100 volunteers from the Red Cross with disaster mental health and spiritual care training are supporting the Surfside community. Caseworkers with the organization are planning families’ next steps and giving finiancial help.
“Red Cross volunteers are supporting families at the assistance center — which is a safe space for people to receive emotional support, get something to eat and drink, connect with community organizations offering aid, and hear updates from authorities,” she wrote.
Businesses and community volunteers bring meals and supplies to survivors and first responders
While monetary donations are preferred, efforts are ongoing to supply survivors and first responders with snacks, drinks and other essentials.
Camille Bterrani, Starbucks’ district manager for Beaches of Miami and Biscayne, said the store in Surfside, 9560 Harding Ave., began collecting goods just hours after the tragedy. Now, the store may need to stop taking food donations because of an overload.
“All this food was delivered and we actually had to come pick up the food and redistribute it to homeless shelters, Camillus House and those with food scarcity issues, just so the food would not go to waste,” Bterrani said. “If they have the capability or capacity to cook or prepare something, it’s better for them to just share their information so we could reach out to them accordingly. … We just need it in an organized way.”
Open from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., the Starbucks location is offering free food and drinks to first responders with an established pickup method, he said. The store is also directly supporting more than 50 families displaced in hotels with delivered meals, breakfast and coffee via a partnership with the American Red Cross.
“Immediately we decided to take action,” he said, referring to other Starbucks staff. “I knew the moment we found out about this incident that we were going to have to get involved in a big way because our mission is to inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. … These are not just, you know, our customers. These are our families and our friends and our local community.”
Casa de Jesus, a church on 89th and Harding, is offering free food, drinks and other supplies to first responders and journalists who stop by. The church will also be open to first responders and journalists who want an air-conditioned place to rest and use the restroom.
Ryan Mermer, the community engagement coordinator with Holocaust Heroes Worldwide, has volunteered at the Surfside Community Center with Yedidim USA, another nonprofit organization, to help supply kosher food and resources to survivors and first responders.
Mermer, who lives in Surfside, said the most preferred method of donation is money because it’s easier to use the money on what’s needed most. He said Yedidim is also accepting kitchen supplies and kosher food, adding that they have received lots of clothing and drinks, including water and Gatorade.
“It’s been an ongoing effort, a mission and we’re pumping out the meals. No one is going hungry,” he said. “There’s a mood of fulfillment.”
Miami Herald writer Allie Pitchon contributed to this report.
This story was originally published June 29, 2021 at 6:26 AM.
