ALPHA
CREW
The story of the volunteers who braved the destruction of Hurricane Maria to deliver 100,000 lbs of life-sustaining supplies to Puerto Rico.
On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico as a Category 5 hurricane. The island lost power. Communications went dark. Roads were destroyed. Supply chains collapsed.
Within days, the Duren family organized Alpha CREW — a volunteer-driven operation to collect and deliver life-sustaining supplies to the island. Working with military and civilian communities across the United States and Puerto Rico, the team collected water, food, generators, batteries, medical supplies, and clothing. Active duty Air Force members became key partners, providing access to C-130 aircraft to airlift cargo from Savannah, Georgia to San Juan.
By the end of the operation, total aid delivered exceeded 100,000 lbs. But the weight doesn't tell the full story.
On the ground in Puerto Rico, volunteers delivered medical supplies to the children's hospital in Bayamón, ferried generators to Vieques by boat, ran welfare checks on isolated seniors, distributed hot meals door to door with Fundación El Plato Caliente, evacuated animals from a flooded shelter with the Humane Society, drove convoys of food into the mountains of Utuado and Jayuya, and partnered with churches, foundations, and municipal governments to reach communities that had been cut off for weeks. Every day brought a different mission. Every volunteer gave what they had.
As the island began coming back online and local authorities resumed operations, the scope of immediate disaster relief was substantially complete. The operation ended the way it started — without fanfare.
Alpha CREW delivered gluten-free foods donated by Kinnikinnick to the Alianza de Autismo de Puerto Rico — animal cookies, pancake mix, flour blend, sandwich cremes, and chocolate chip cookies. The chain started in the hangar stateside where a U.S. Air Force forklift moved palletized boxes, a CREW Jeep towed a trailer to the flight line, and a crew member with a headlamp pushed pallets deep into a trailer. On the island, Mr. Jose Galindez donated the local transport, and Ms. Byankah Sobá connected the crew with the autism alliance. The boxes were unloaded on pallets and hand carts outside Alianza's building — specialty food for families who needed it most.
“Today, Alpha CREW delivered gluten free foods donated by Kinnikinnick to Alianza de Autismo de Puerto Rico. A special thanks to our good friend Mr. Jose Galindez for the donation of the transport in Puerto Rico and to Ms. Byankah Sobá to reach out to us to be part of this wonderful cause!”
Seven weeks. 100,000 lbs of supplies. Airlifted by C-130, ferried to Vieques, hand-delivered to hospitals, shelters, and front porches. When the island began coming back online and local authorities resumed operations, the immediate disaster relief mission was substantially complete.
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