Elementary Students Collect Emergency Supplies To Send To Puerto Rico
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's been more than a month since Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, but the island and its people are still on the minds of young people at a school in Mt. Prospect.
Donations from students at Westbrook Elementary School were loaded on a truck on Wednesday for the first stop in a trip more than 2,000 miles away. WBBM's Bernie Tafoya reports.
There are 550 pre-school, kindergarten and first grade students at the school on Busse Rd.
In the past week, they have collected emergency supplies for the people who have endured hurricanes in Puerto Rico.
"We had over 11,000 diapers that were donated, over 17,000 bandages, and almost 200 cans of formula," said school social worker, Lisa Ryno.
"When you watch the news and the media and you see all the devastation that happened in Puerto Rico and they weren't really getting assistance. And what can we do? So I thought, it's a little school we have about 550 kids in here ages three to seven, but we could do something even if it's a small amount."
Ryno said the donations surpassed her expectations and restored her faith in the goodness of people.
"It's awesome. Mt. Prospect is awesome. Great community," she said.
Novak and Parker Home Appliance donated a truck and workers to take the supplies to Grace and Peace Community Church on Chicago's West Side. From there, it will be flown to Puerto Rico.
