A year ago, Typhoon Haiyan ravaged parts of the Philippines including my hometown of Bogo. It took s few days to get news about my family's safety, especially my brother (Dennis), his family, and my sister (Geraldine). 

With the help of generous friends and family here in the US, I was able to send some relief in the form of cash, clothing, blankets, sleeping bags, towels, batteries, etc. And I want to take the opportunity, even a year later, to remember and thank all the kind souls in my life who donated to help the people I love affected by this disaster.

My PayPal account was never more useful. The total cash sent over was $2,050 allocated among three groups.

Here are some photos to give you the idea of the property damage they were dealing with.oB

My sister pretty much lost everything she owned. The little house she was renting was a goner and all her possessions wet and muddy.

The money they received helped to jumpstart their efforts to fix things up and replace the daily necessities lost. My brother also extended help to this employees by buying corrugated metal sheets to patch their homes.

In addition to cash, we were able to collect a ton of clothes for both kids and adults. I was so surprised by all the people who reached out and dropped things off at work, at home, and at random meeting points. I think the outpouring of support kept me sane. At the end of it, I sent over 5 big boxes of stuff.

My family only kept what they needed and everything else were given away. My sister, my sister-in-law, and niece drove the remaining boxes of clothes to the small village of Libaong. You can only get there via dirt/muddy road through sugarcane fields. My sister-in-law grew up there, and she knew a lot of people there who could use the clothes. Here's a few photos during their visit and know that you made a lot of people and children smile.

One of my co-workers was so generous to let me rummage through his shed and gave 5 sleeping bags. One of the recipients, Nanay Cita, is one very close to our family. She had been our house help for years, since I was in grade school. She's a widow living by herself and that sleeping bag was a huge help for her.

Before this gets too epically long, I really just want to say THANK YOU so much, and I want you to know that you all have made a difference.