LINCOLN SQUARE — For the past three weeks, Mimi Garcia has been serving customers at The Grind Cafe with a smile on her face but heaviness in her heart.
When the 29-year-old Puerto Rican native joined her boyfriend in Chicago a year ago, she left behind her mom, sister, friends and extended family.
"It's so hard. Every day I miss it," said Garcia.
It's been especially difficult to watch from a distance as not one but two devastating hurricanes pummeled her homeland, first Irma and then Maria, in rapid succession.
"My mom just got her power back [following Irma] two days before Maria," Garcia said.
Though islanders are accustomed to preparing for tropical storms, the force of Maria, a Category 5 hurricane, is something the likes of which few have ever experienced. News reports have described the damage as "apocalyptic."
Garcia said her family, despite no electricity or hot water, is in relatively good shape.
"But that's in the best area of Puerto Rico," she said. "The assessment of the situation is so hard to get. I've seen S.O.S. signs from people to get food."
The lack of communication, not only between Puerto Rico and the outside world but within the country itself, has exacerbated the anxiety of people like Garcia.
"I still don't know where my friends are," she said.
The willingness of Chicagoans to offer help has been encouraging Garcia said but the response of the U.S. government has been frustrating.
"I've seen a lot of really good stuff and really bad stuff ... and then I've seen Trump," she said.
Garcia has set up a collection bin at the Grind, 4613 N. Lincoln Ave., for donations of essential items: diapers, canned food, flashlights, batteries, band-aids, mosquito repellent and more (see below for complete list). She'll pass everything along to Casa Puertorriqueña in Humboldt Park, which has been a hub for relief efforts.
For those who would prefer to donate money rather than goods, Garcia recommended mariafund.org and unidosporpuertorico.com, the latter of which was started by Beatriz Rosselló, the First Lady of Puerto Rico.
The City of Chicago also launched a website that provides a list of verified charities and organizations.
[Facebook]
