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Broward's Food For The Poor Sending Tons Of Aid To Storm-Ravaged Islands

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COCONUT CREEK (CBSMiami) -- At a warehouse facility in Coconut Creek, more than 87,000 tons in life-saving aid are loaded for shipment.

Food for the Poor - Coconut Creek
Pallets of water are among the critical items being shipped to Dominica to help residents recover from Hurricane Maria. Food For The Poor loaded four 40-foot containers of aid on Friday bound for Dominica and more is expected in the coming days. (Source: Food For The Poor)

Beyond the necessary clothes and food, other supplies like generators for electricity, burner stoves, cleaning products and much more are going to help recover the storm-ravaged islands in the Caribbean.

Robin Mahfood, President and CEO of Food for the Poor, one of the largest faith-based international relief organizations in the world, is helping to send Friday morning's load to Dominica.

"St. Martin is a disaster. Saba is a disaster," he said.

Dominica was the first island to feel the full wrath of Hurricane Maria's Category 5 power. In its wake, 15 are confirmed dead. The storm ripped roofs off shelters, destroyed homes, cut power and running water, and silenced communication.

Food for the Poor - Coconut Creek
(Source: Food for the Poor)

From the people on the ground, Mahfood said they're saying everything's destroyed.

"'Destruction,' that's the word they use. Just destruction," he said.

Food for the Poor has dozens of containers of supplies already en route to places hit by Hurricane Irma like Lucia, Antigua, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

It's a stark difference from what was felt in South Florida.

"Everybody has back electricity and everybody has back water, all the way down to Key West. It's a blessing," said Mahfood. "The people in Dominica are suffering. They really are suffering."

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