On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico as a high-end Category 4 storm — the most destructive hurricane to strike the island in nearly a century. Power, water and communications failed across all 78 municipalities, and millions of our families, friends and neighbors on the island faced months of recovery. For a restaurant founded by Puerto Ricans, built on Puerto Rican recipes, this was personal. This page chronicles what our community did, and how you can still help.
What We Organized
In the weeks after the storm, La Isla became a collection point and a rallying place for the Puerto Rican diaspora in Washington State:
- Daily donation collection at our Ballard location — neighbors dropped off batteries, flashlights, first-aid supplies, water filters, baby goods and non-perishable food every single day, from open to close.
- Levantando a Puerto Rico domino tournament at La Isla Redmond — a full day of dominoes, tapas and trophies, with every entry fee going to relief efforts. The grand prize winner walked away with a trophy and bragging rights; Puerto Rico walked away with the proceeds.
- Lechón asado fundraiser at our Ballard location — slow-roasted pork, arroz con gandules, tostones, live music and a silent auction, with proceeds donated to hurricane relief funds.
- Partner events around Puget Sound — a Halloween benefit night at a Lake City brewery, and a day of dance-fitness classes, bomba y plena dancing and community networking in Tacoma organized by local Puerto Rican community groups.
What the Island Needed
In a disaster of Maria’s scale, the right donations matter as much as the generous impulse. Working with community organizations, we kept a running list taped to the door, and it taught all of us something about what recovery actually looks like: water filters and purification tablets ahead of bottled water (lighter to ship, longer to serve); battery- and solar-powered lanterns and radios; first-aid kits, over-the-counter medicines and insect repellent; baby formula, diapers and wipes; non-perishable, easy-open food; and hygiene essentials by the case. Cash, we learned, was often the most powerful donation of all — established relief organizations can move a dollar onto the island faster and further than any of us can ship a box. Hundreds of you did both, and then came back the next week and did it again.
Thank You, Seattle
The response floored us. Carloads of supplies arrived from Ballard, Fremont, Redmond, Aberdeen and beyond. Coffee shops, bakeries and breweries across western Washington volunteered as collection sites. Together, this community shipped pallets of essential goods to the island and raised thousands of dollars for relief organizations. De todo corazón: gracias.
How You Can Still Help
Recovery on the island took years, and preparedness never stops mattering. If you would like to support Puerto Rico today, these established organizations are a good place to start:
- FEMA’s Hurricane Maria disaster page documents the federal recovery effort and remaining programs for the island.
- The American Red Cross supports disaster relief and preparedness across Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
- The Hispanic Federation has channeled long-term recovery funds directly to community organizations on the island.
You can also read the National Hurricane Center’s official records of the 2017 season at nhc.noaa.gov to understand just how extraordinary that year was for the Caribbean.
Keep the Island Close
The best everyday way to support Puerto Rican culture is to live it: share the food, play the music, tell the stories. Come raise a glass of coquito with us, bring friends to dinner, and learn about the island you are helping at our story page. Puerto Rico se levanta.