The following email was sent out today to all those who donated to help evacuees of the Salt and South Fork Ruidoso fires. Your donations made a tremendous impact. Please read this heartwarming letter from our Board Chair, Shay Kelley:
31 July 2024
You are receiving this email because you donated to Puerto Seguro's effort to provide hotel rooms to evacuees during the Ruidoso Fires, and we want to update you on what has happened since the initial crisis on Monday, June 17th. Thank you so much for your help!
In the first week after the fires, you all covered the costs to keep 13 people (including several young children) and 12 animals in hotels (specifically the Days Inn in Socorro) for 3-5 nights. Puerto Seguro utilized the funds you contributed, and covered their stays until the evacuation was lifted on Monday morning (June 24th).
At the same time, we put together hot meals for the families staying in the hotels, which were cooked at our facility by our staff cook, and delivered to the rooms by volunteers.
We also supplied gasoline assistance to folks who were headed back home on the 24th, clothing vouchers (for our thrift store at 107 California) and referred dozens of people to the donation center that the city and county provided. We contributed $324.98 in hygiene supplies (over 800 items were distributed locally and sent to emergency shelters in Roswell and Mescalero) and 1500 pairs of socks, through our partnership with Bombas.
In addition, we supplied 33 cases of water, but when Walmart realized we were making purchases, they contributed 20 pallets! These pallets were sent to Roswell and Ruidoso via state transports.
Together, you raised $4937.06!
For me personally, it was a shocking response to an email that I sent to just 18 people. I was overwhelmed with gratitude every day, watching our community come together in this way.
Here is a quote from one of the evacuees helped by your donations:
"Socorro has been so good to us! I am amazed! The people here are wonderful; I've been blown away by the kindness shown from every direction. The food, hotel room, clean clothes.... yesterday we all went to the laundromat and they covered the cost of our laundry. We went to eat at a local restaurant and the business paid for our dinner! I'm just so grateful. This has been especially hard on those of us with young kids, and Socorro has made it easier..."
The cost of hotel rooms totaled $938.48 that first week, and we are still providing assistance to victims of the fires in Ruidoso. There are several families who lost their homes to the fires and subsequent flooding, especially in the low-lying mobile home parks.
We are working with case managers in the area and The Simple Rewards Inn. The owner of the hotel is not only working to help people get their FEMA ID (which can help them get free rooms through the relief response) but has also offered a discounted government rate for the folks who are waiting for relief.
We have spent an additional $605.55 on hotel rooms in Ruidoso in the aftermath of the fires, even as recently as a few days ago. There are families who have been staying in shelters for almost a month, and are in desperate need of a private place to get a good night's sleep.
We anticipate the need will continue in the area, however, we are closing this fundraising link, as we believe we have enough funds to meet the needs that will arise in the coming months. There is still $3393.03 remaining from this fundraiser, and we will continue to use it for this purpose; providing relief directly to the people displaced by the fires in Ruidoso. Thank you again, for helping us help them!
I am hopeful that if we ever find ourselves in the position that Ruidoso or Roswell found itself in, that Socorro would respond as swiftly and with as much organization as they did during this crisis.
I am beyond impressed by the mobilization from churches, organizations, restaurants, and individuals who quickly took action to bring the community together.
You all have proven once again, that "Socorro means Help."
Have a wonderful August, and if you have questions for me or our staff at Puerto Seguro, don't hesitate to reach out.
Respectfully,
Shay Kelley, Puerto Seguro Safe Harbor, Board Chair
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