It started by donating mattresses to local Puerto Rican families displaced by Hurricane Maria.
Global Mattress, a Puerto Rico-based company soon to open nine stores in Central Florida, launched a social initiative to mitigate the hardship of local residents in need. To begin, the company recently donated 50 mattresses to Puerto Rican families rebuilding their lives here in Florida after having been displaced from their homes by Hurricane Maria.
To reach the families, Global Mattress teamed up with Latino Leadership, an Orlando nonprofit focused on the empowerment, education, advancement, and economic development of Hispanics. The nonprofit, which has been at the forefront of helping the newly arrived from the island settle, identified the recipients from the hundreds of cases they are managing.
“Many Puerto Ricans who came here after Maria find themselves now in really tough circumstances,” said Javier Tejeda, general operations director of Global Mattress. “Basic things like food, clothing or a mattress are luxuries hard to afford. We are proudly stepping up to the plate to help. Central Florida is very dear to us because it has provided opportunities to many fellow Puerto Ricans in times of need and has welcomed us warmly as we do our due diligence to expand to the region.”
With 14 stores on the island, Global Mattress is positioning itself to make a significant investment in Central Florida of $2 million with the opening later this year of nine stores across the region. The first store is scheduled to open in May in Lake Mary followed by Kissimmee and Lake Nona. Their Lake Nona location will be located at Nona Place, which Earth Fare will anchor.
Latino Leadership’s founder, Marytza Sanz, said that the organization has helped thousands of families since Hurricane Maria struck in October. “We continue providing assistance through our Puerto Rico Family Response Center by offering clothing and food assistance, orientation about housing, employment opportunities, government and health services, as well as small business coaching, among other services. For that reason, partnerships like this one are vital to help mitigate the overwhelming needs of so many of the newly arrived.
“We have seen people who lost everything and are now struggling to survive,” Sanz said. “There are entire families who are still sleeping on couches, air mattresses, or worse, the floor. The need is real, and it is overwhelming. We are grateful for Global Mattress’ commitment to provide meaningful assistance and very excited about what this partnership represents for the future of so many who just need a bit of help to get on their feet.”
Tejeda said that, as part of this community initiative, the company will set aside inventory on a regular basis to help Central Floridians in need because of emergencies like flood or fires, natural disasters, and others.
Global Mattress, manufacturer and retailer of premium quality mattresses since 1982, prides itself on delivering products direct from their Global Dream Factory to customers’ homes, skipping the middleman for superb value with every purchase.
