Food and Friends, the D.C. area group that provides home-delivered specialized meals for people with HIV and other serious illnesses, has made an emergency contribution to a group in Puerto Rico providing similar services in the wake of the destruction in the U.S. commonwealth caused by Hurricane Maria.
 
In a statement released on Oct. 4, Food & Friends said it arranged to donate 10 percent of the revenue expected to be generated this month by its annual Slice of Life pie sales fundraising drive. The statement says a minimum of $30,000 would be obtained from the fundraiser for emergency aid to the San Juan-based Bill’s Kitchen, the only organization in Puerto Rico providing specialized nutrition services to the HIV/AIDS community.
 
“As with most of Puerto Rico, Bill’s Kitchen remains without electricity,” said Food & Friends Executive Director Craig Shniderman. “There is no landline; phone service; extremely limited cell phone coverage; intermittent safe water; very limited fuel for vehicles/generators; martial law/evening curfew and oppressive heat,” Shniderman said in the statement.
 
He said Food & Friends has “rallied” the Food Is Medicine Coalition, which represents other groups throughout the U.S. that provide nutritional services and meals for people with HIV and other illnesses, to consider a gift to Bill’s Kitchen “within the means of their organization.”
 
Food & Friends spokesperson Carolyn Schmidt said Food & Friends last week sent Bill’s Kitchen $5,000 as the first installment of its planned $30,000 contribution. She said that in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane destruction Bill’s Kitchen provided whatever food it had in storage to anyone who needed it, including senior citizens.