To Help Puerto Rico, the Internet Gets Creative, Offering Books, Drawings and More in Exchange for Donations
Musicians, authors and artists have banded together to support Puerto Rico in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Maria. Beyonce, of course, released a multi-language remix of "Mi Gente" and vowed to give the proceeds to charity. Ricky Martin launched a crowdfunding campaign, and Stephen Colbert began trading embarrassing celebrity photos for donations.
But it's not just the super famous who are begging the public for help on behalf of the island. Creators from around the world have taken to social media to ask for donations--and they're often sweetening the pot, offering whatever goods and services they can provide in order to persuade people to get involved.
Related: Puerto Rico Lacks Drinking Water, Drugs, Diesel and More
If you can prove you've donated to this GlobalGiving campaign, for example, bestselling author Marie Lu will not only match your donation but also send you a signed copy of her new book, Warcross. If you donate to one of these charities and email your receipt to sports writer Ryan Nanni, he and Spencer Hall may read a sentence of your choosing on their podcast Shutdown Fullcast. If you give $100 to this fund, vlogger (and "Swish Swish" music video star) Christine Sydelko will follow you on Twitter.
Users from all areas of the internet are offering comics, e-books, poems, resume reviews, sexy photos and more to people who get involved with relief efforts for Puerto Rico. Here are just a few of them:
Donate and send me a screen shot of the confirmation and I will send you a free ebook! #PuertoRico #PuertoRicoRelief https://t.co/irXtgA9S33
— Meg Bonney (@MegBonneyWriter) September 30, 2017
Gonna extend contest one more week. People need our help. 1relief donation screenshot=1vote. Prize: I tweet 1 week dedicated to winning team https://t.co/fJiHIuK3k6
— Jen (@NHLhistorygirl) September 30, 2017
If you donate >$30 to a hurricane relief fund, I will answer a career question/emotional quandary for you. Or write you a poem, why not. 💜
— gwendolyn weston (@purpleyay) September 26, 2017
Hey if you donate to relief in Puerto Rico and its not the Red Cross show me a reciept and i will do a quick sketch when i wake up
— Noah Browning🦈✨ (@shoonabee) September 27, 2017
Hey! Donate $5 to Puerto Rico and I'll mail you a cartoon cat as thanks. Just DM me a screenshot and yr address! xo pic.twitter.com/irm4gZ11jk
— 🐣Tim Manley 🐥 (@timtimmanley) September 30, 2017
Anyway if you donate to Puerto Rico/Mexico/Houston/etc, send me a screenshot and I'll send you an exclusive cat pic!!! https://t.co/M4edXa1AAX
— Kendra (@kendrawcandraw) September 26, 2017
Another way to land a @theclubhousepod koozie - donate to Puerto Rico & send your donation receipt to me https://t.co/atrxuRTDqm
— Shane Bacon (@shanebacon) September 26, 2017
For the morning crowd - donate $25 to #PuertoRicoRelief and I'll critique your child's college admissions essay. https://t.co/Ew3fxgDDAN
— Megan *wear a mask* Macmanus (@MeganMacmanus) September 25, 2017
Or if you feel weird about me making money, donate $10+ toward hurricane relief. Tell me so. I'll send you a copy. https://t.co/ZTAwgBeK9k
— Noah Gibbs (@codefolio) September 27, 2017
#Writers of YA, adult, kidlit, all genres SFF, romance, more: We have 277 critiques on offer in our #PubforPR auction. Bidding opens Monday! pic.twitter.com/P091nZzpPh
— Nova Ren Suma (@novaren) September 30, 2017
any help for Puerto Rico is gonna have to come from us. donate to any worthy charity and I'll send you some fun stuff I've been hoarding pic.twitter.com/2EU8hqnTax
— Callan instead of potatoes (@scratchbomb) September 30, 2017
Puerto Rico & Mexico need our help. If you donate any amount, I'll send you a signed bookplate. Offer open until I run out of them! https://t.co/7QODjQWRI1
— Laura Silverman (@LJSilverman1) September 22, 2017
Hurricane Maria, which came just after Hurricane Irma passed through the Caribbean, knocked out 100 percent of the power in Puerto Rico and left much of the island without access to clean water. The White House recently waived the Jones Act, which makes it easier for the area to get shipments of food and medical supplies, but President Donald Trump has been repeatedly criticized for not doing more.
"We are dying, and you are killing us with the inefficiency and the bureaucracy," San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz told reporters Friday, according to NBC News. "I am done being polite. I am done being politically correct. I am mad as hell."
Trump attacked Cruz on Twitter Saturday morning, blaming Puerto Rico's problems on "poor leadership." He also suggested that Cruz had been told by the Democratic Party to insult him. Trump then labeled the viral stories about his Cruz remarks "fake news."
No matter what your political affiliation is, though, it's a fact that Puerto Rico desperately needs assistance.
What are you waiting for?
