The following is an announcement on the website of Seafarers International Union:
The union extends its heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to the Seafarers El Faro Assistance Fund. We have closed the fund, and distributions to family members are being sent beginning this week.
Since the fund’s establishment, we collected corporate and personal donations of more than $263,000. In addition, the SIU contributed $51,000 as a donation and $50,000 to erect a memorial near the Jacksonville hall, for a total of more than $364,500.
Individual distributions are being split evenly among the spouses and dependent children of the SIU members who were part of the El Faro’s final crew.
Again, the SIU thanks everyone who contributed to the fund. Your support is meaningful on many levels, and the tremendous value of that support cannot be measured in dollars and cents.