Eight local organizations received donations from the Mark E. Curry Family Foundation (MECFF), a nonprofit entity which supports other beneficence groups aimed at helping children and families. The groups received donations on the basis of their efforts to continue improving the lives of Puerto Ricans after the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane María last year.

A total of $275,000 in donations were given to San Jorge Children's Foundation, Cosa Nuestra, Grupo Guayacán, Corporación de Servicios de Salud Primaria y Desarrollo Socioeconómico El Otoao (Utuado), Igual Que Tú, Inc. (Yabucoa y Humacao), Consejo Renal de Puerto Rico, Inc. (Vieques), Casa Protegida Julia de Burgos (Ponce), and CNE Puerto Rico Recovery Fund.

Mark E. Curry, who founded MECFF in 2015, highlighted that the organization highly values the role that education, culture, social support and security play in the development of our nation's most valuable resource: the youth.

'We quickly realized the need here in Puerto Rico was immense after the passing of Hurricane Maria. We made it a goal of ours to focus on recovery for the island by not only supporting vulnerable communities, but also rebuilding the economy by supporting local organizations', explained Curry, who is also a publisher in the digital daily NotiCel.

'The strength of the community directly following the hurricane was an inspiration for the Foundation, and the perseverance of Puerto Rico's people is one of the reasons I am so bullish on the island coming back stronger than before.'

The Foundation has supported programs in the fields of medical services, domestic violence prevention, economic development and LGBTQ rights.