TOTE Establishes Family Relief Fund at Seamen’s Church
October 9, 2015
TOTE Establishes Fund for Families of Crew at the Seamen’s Church Institute
Jacksonville, FL – Earlier this week TOTE announced the creation of a family relief fund whose resources will be used to support the families of the El Faro crew. The fund will be held and administered by the Seamen’s Church Institute, North America’s largest mariners’ service agency.
“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” noted Anthony Chiarello, President and CEO of TOTE. “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 will also be establishing an education fund for the children of the El Faro crew members that will support diverse educational needs.
Information about the fund can be found here: http://elfaroincident.com/family-fund/
(Updated Oct. 15)
About Seamen’s Church Institute
Founded in 1834 and affiliated with the Episcopal Church, though nondenominational in terms of its trustees, staff and service to mariners, the Seamen’s Church Institute of New York & New Jersey (SCI) is the largest, most comprehensive mariners’ agency in North America. Annually, its 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. SCI’s maritime education facilities provide navigational training to nearly 1,600 mariners each year through simulator-based facilities located in Houston, TX and Paducah, KY. The Institute and its maritime attorneys are recognized as leading advocates for merchant mariners by the United States Government, including the US Congress, the US Coast Guard, and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the United Nations, the International Maritime Organization, the International Labor Organization and maritime trade associations.