'Real Housewives of New York' News: Bethenny Frankel Charters Planes to Deliver Supplies to Puerto Rico, Reveals No Help Has Been Sent to the Island Prior
After previously heading to Mexico to help the victims of the magnitude 7.1 earthquake, which left 369 casualties in its wake, "Real Housewives of New York" star Bethenny Frankel has taken her relief efforts to hurricane-stricken Puerto Rico.
It has been reported that the television personality and Skinnygirl Cocktails founder chartered several planes this week to deliver food, water, and medical supplies, as well as hygiene essentials and plenty of gift cards, to victims of Hurricane Maria.
Frankel revealed in a blog post on the Bravo website that the planes were borrowed from her wealthy friends, except for the first one, which she chartered herself.
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"And just like that, people just pull together," she wrote. "So, Feeding America and City Harvest came with meals. Guardians of Rescue came with stuff for dogs. Someone came with insulin. I went to Costco for pediatric stuff. My friend, Warren, got us a satellite phone," she added.
Frankel also announced in an Instagram video that the planes she chartered were being used to transport sick and injured Puerto Rican residents, who are in need of immediate medical attention, to the U.S. in order for them to be able to receive proper treatment.
A post shared by Bethenny Frankel (@bethennyfrankel) on Oct 2, 2017 at 9:55am PDT
Documenting her experience in Puerto Rico, she revealed in a video that they were actually the first group to deliver supplies to the island, even after almost two weeks when the hurricane struck.
#THISISACRISIS Puerto Rican's saw our truck and are lining up in droves hoping to get basic essentials. We are the first relief efforts they have seen since #HurricaneMaria hit a week and a half ago! These people need your help. Please donate at http://www.bstrongdeliveringgood.org/bstrong/ #BStrong #100percent #workingforpuertorico A post shared by Bethenny Frankel (@bethennyfrankel) on Oct 2, 2017 at 4:58pm PDT
Frankel's team reportedly distributed more than 20,000 pounds of donated medical and essential supplies, such as water, canned goods, baby food, diapers, toys, medical supplies, including insulin; 2,000 pounds of non-perishable, nutritious meals from the previously mentioned Feeding America and City Harvest foundations, $25,000 worth of gift cards and cash from Yieldstreet, and $30,000 worth of gift cards from Costco.
"This is a forgotten island. People have been living on their roofs for 13 days," 46-year-old Frankel said in an interview with People. "It is like nothing I have ever seen. People's entire homes and cars are immersed in mud, the likes I've never seen," she continued.
Besides shelling out funds from her own pocket, Frankel also received support from thousands of dollars in donations made by Andy Cohen, Elvis Duran, Donny Deutsch, and many other others, to her B Strong charity, and from a partnership with the nonprofit organization, Delivering Good.
