ORLANDO, Fla. -- Luis Garay waited almost a month after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico before hearing from an uncle -- who gave him a reality check.

  • Luis Garay is a manager at the FedEx hub in Orlando
  • Longtime Orlando-area resident has many relatives in Puerto Rico
  • He and wife brought packages of supplies to island after Maria

Garay's uncle told him, "The family is OK. We got damage in the house, (and) your other uncle lost the house, but we're OK," Garay recalled, relieved.

Garay and his wife moved to Central Florida from Puerto Rico years ago, but both still have the majority of their families living in the island.

"I wanted to do something from the beginning, but it was a waiting game," explained Garay after learning the potential damage Hurricane Maria would leave behind.

Garay talked to his wife about what they could do to help people back home.

"We have to do something. We have to go..." Garay said to his wife. 

If there's one thing he knows how to do well, it's handling and delivering packages -- Garay is a manager at the FedEx hub in Orlando. 

"We can get plane tickets, we can fly there and take anything we can," Garay told his wife.

They both went to their church to ask for help. Church members not only donated items, they also got him and his wife tickets to fly with two bags each weighing up to 50 pounds.

"We said, 'OK, let’s do a bag here for this family, and we put flashlights, batteries, food, you know, immediate things that could help them, and we did different bags based on the families," Garay said.

Back in Puerto Rico, he never expected to see what he saw when they first landed.

"It's really sad. Your island doesn’t look green no more," Garay recalled.

For two days, the couple traveled across the island, delivering all the supplies they brought -- and helping more than 10 families in need.

Garay said he could never have done it without the support of colleagues and friends back home. He recently was honored by his company for his humanitarian work after returning from the trip.

"Knowing that a small island -- so many people could love a small island,” he said with joy.