TOTE Maritime Establishes Family Relief Fund
"This fund will ensure that 100 percent of all gifts goes directly to the families as they deal with the loss of a loved one. We continue to keep the families and loved ones of the crew of the El Faro in our thoughts and prayers," Anthony Chiarello, president and CEO of TOTE, said Oct. 9.
TOTE Maritime, which owned the El Faro container ship that sank during Hurricane Joaquin, has set up a family relief fund to support the 33 families of the ship's crew. The fund will be held and administered by the Seamen's Church Institute of New York & New Jersey, described by the company as North America's largest mariners' service agency, following a structure put in place by TOTE.
"Over the last few days, we have had hundreds of employees, mariners, customers, and individuals from around the country inquire about where to donate in support of the families," Anthony Chiarello, president and CEO of TOTE, said Oct. 9. "This fund will ensure that 100 percent of all gifts goes directly to the families as they deal with the loss of a loved one. We continue to keep the families and loved ones of the crew of the El Faro in our thoughts and prayers."
TOTE also announced it will establish an education fund for the children of the crew members. Information about the fund can be found at http://elfaroincident.com/family-fund/.
According to TOTE's announcement, the Seamen's Church Institute's chaplains visit thousands of vessels in the Port of New York and New Jersey, the Port of Oakland, and along 2,200 miles of America's inland waterways and into the Gulf of Mexico, and its maritime education facilities provide navigational training to nearly 1,600 mariners each year through simulator-based facilities located in Houston and Paducah, Ky.