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Friday, September 15, 2017

Community picnic

As residents in Miami work to recover from Hurricane Irma, Commissioner Ken Russell and other elected officials, veterans and relief organizations are offering a respite from the heat and rubble clearing.

The entire community is invited to put down the debris for a moment to enjoy a free picnic at Regatta Park, next to Miami City Hall in Coconut Grove, Friday, Sept. 15, at 4 pm. Residents will receive picnic food, ice and fellowship. The site is also a collection point for donations for hurricane relief coordinated with the Community Operations Center (CEOC), a coalition of grassroots organizations helping communities in need in Miami-Dade, the Florida Keys and other areas of Florida.

Food will be cooked and served by the Rescue Warriors, an ad-hoc group of military veterans founded by Miami native Sean O’ Hanlon. The group has been informally going into disaster zones to provide rescue and relief for several years most recently during Hurricane Harvey in Houston.

O’ Hanlon, 50, was living on a boat at Dinner Key Marina prior to Irma and saw on the news that the boat had been destroyed. He and other veteran volunteers geared up to help provide meals and other needs to residents living without power or ready access to ice, food and water.

“Sitting and waiting is not who we are,” O’Hanlon said. “We wanted to make sure people didn’t have to live through Andrew again.”

Burgers, hot dogs, chicken, pork sandwiches and drinks will be available for free, courtesy of Rescue Warriors, the offices of Commissioner Ken Russell and Commissioner Francis Suarez, and Ricky’s Arepas and Hot Dogs. Residents will also be able to power up their cell phones via an AT&T charging station provided courtesy of State Rep. Nick Duran.

“This community has come together magnificently to help each other out for the past week,” said Commissioner Ken Russell. “We wanted to give people a break from the clean up and chance to get together and enjoy a meal. Everyone is welcome.”

Other groups on hand from the CEOC will include Third Wave Volunteers and others, ready to sign up volunteers and accept donations that will go to a 12,000-square-foot warehouse at EcoTech Visions in North Miami serving as headquarters for the local disaster relief effort. 

The kitchens will also be cooking and boxing food for delivery to West Grove residents and seniors before the picnic. Volunteers from the Miami Children’s Museum and local churches will make the deliveries.

Thanks go to Sedano’s, and Home Depot for donations of food, water and charcoal, which will go to relief efforts. Ricky’s Arepas is also donating propane.

If you are able to donate items to hurricane relief, or want to sign up to help local relief efforts or share your story, this is the place. Appropriate items for donation include non-perishable food items, propane, charcoal, gas cards.

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