MIAMI – Fans attending this weekend’s football games at Dolphin Stadium and basketball game at the AmericanAirlines Arena are urged to bring non-perishable food, bottled water and baby supplies to the games to help Caribbean nations that were affected by hurricanes Ike, Gustav and Hanna, as well as Tropical Storm Fay.
The University of Miami Hurricanes will face archrival Florida State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Dolphin Stadium. Fans may drop off these relief supplies at the gate when they enter the stadium. Fans may do the same on Sunday when the Miami Dolphins play the San Diego Chargers at 1 p.m. and on Oct. 12 during the soccer match between Haiti and El Salvador. Anyone may drop off donations of bottled water and non-perishable items at Dolphin Stadium, 2269 Dan Marino Blvd., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Miami Heat fans who plan to attend Sunday’s exhibition game against the Detroit Pistons at 6:30 p.m. may leave these relief supplies at the gates at AmericanAirlines Arena.
“The outpouring of support by residents for the Miami-Dade County Caribbean Relief Drive has been tremendous,” said Barbara J. Jordan, Vice Chairwoman of the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners. “However, we need more help. We want to make sure that every victim of these disasters in these Caribbean nations has enough food and water to survive through this difficult time.”
Miami-Dade Police Department and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue stations also are accepting donated items. All supplies are being stored at a County-owned building in Doral. Monetary donations can be made to the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities, Food For The Poor, Operation Helping Hands/United Way, and World Vision. People making monetary donations should identify the relief drive that they would like their donation to benefit.
Commissioners Jordan, Audrey Edmonson and Jose “Pepe” Diaz are working with the Office of the Mayor Carlos Alvarez and the Miami-Dade County Department of Emergency Management & Homeland Security (DEM&HS) to coordinate the delivery of these supplies to Caribbean nations.
