DANBURY -- As members of the Filipino community in Danbury worry about their loved ones back home in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, one local businessman is taking action. Herbert Cledera is collecting clothing, blankets, coats and nonperishable food items at his store, H&K Filipino Variety Store, for shipment to the Philippines. This is for my customers who always come to the store, Cledera said Saturday. I am an agent of LBC, the courier company that regularly transports boxes of supplies to families of my customers. They gave me a deal to ship as many boxes as possible free of charge up to Nov. 21, said Cledera. Cledera said his family members in the Philippines live in the north and were not affected by the typhoon. But many people in the Danbury area have family members who were hard hit. Gladis Cukerstein, 31, has lived in Danbury since 2004, but the rest of her family lives in the town of Piovcorpus, just outside of the city of Masbebate. All my family is there: my parents, siblings, Cukerstein said. The problem is I cant reach them. The power is out. I havent spoken to even one of them. I couldnt even watch the news. Its really devastating, seeing all that and not knowing. Rebecca Pautista, a Danbury resident since 1980, was luckier. She received word about her aunt and cousins living in Amarok from a relative. My mothers sister and her kids are fine, Pautista said. But their house is damaged. The roof is gone and the back and front are gone. They didnt go to the shelter. They stayed through the entire storm. They are lucky to be alive. H&K Filipino Variety Store, 345 Main St., Danbury, is accepting donated items through Nov. 21. The store is located next to Bank of America. Call 203-743-3175 for more information. stuz@newstimes; 860-355-7322
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 09:26:38 +0000
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