By Hennah Perez Portorreal | Senior Sales Specialist at RealtorDR
This past Christmas season, the RealtorDR team came together with a shared purpose: to feed 500 families across the North Coast of the Dominican Republic and give back to the communities that support us every day.
Led by RealtorDR President Robert Maceachern, and made possible by the dedication of Bernisa, Carinne, Katherine and Hennah and the entire RealtorDR family, this initiative was rooted in a simple belief – that real impact comes from action, not words.
Why This Drive Matters: for many families, December is one of the most difficult times of the year. While the holidays are meant to be joyful, there are households that quietly struggle to put a traditional meal on the table. This year, we wanted to help ease that burden.
To maximize the impact, RealtorDR committed to matching 100% of all donations, doubling every contribution. Every dollar donated went directly toward food and packaging, while RealtorDR covered all logistics, coordination and delivery costs.
Reaching the Right Families: with the help of local schools, community leaders and trusted organizations, we identified families most in need and divided the goal evenly across four North Coast communities:
– Pancho Mateo (Montellano) – coordinated by Bernisa
– La Ciénega (Cabarete) – coordinated by Carinne through the Mariposa Foundation
– Callejón de la Loma (Cabarete) – coordinated by Katherine through Coral School
– Sosúa Abajo (Sosua) – coordinated by Hennah
Each family received a holiday food basket filled with essential groceries and festive staples – everything needed to prepare a Christmas meal and support their household through the holidays.
The experience was both humbling and unforgettable. We witnessed gratitude, relief and genuine emotion as families received their baskets. One of the biggest challenges was helping elderly residents, pregnant women and families with young children transport the heavy baskets home – a challenge made possible only because the baskets were filled to the brim with food. A heartfelt thank you to the motoconcho drivers and neighbors who stepped in to help families get their baskets home safely.
With Gratitude: this initiative would not have been possible without the support of so many partners and individuals. Special thanks to Marinero Supermarket in Sabaneta, whose team carefully packaged all 500 food baskets and supported us throughout distribution.
We are deeply grateful to the community leaders who helped guide and execute this mission:-
– Dorabel Binet in Pancho Mateo
– The Mariposa Foundation team in La Ciénega
– Miguelina Zayas De Viloria in Callejón de la Loma
– Carmen Maria Paredes Luna and Jose Polanco in Sosúa Abajo
To every donor, volunteer and supporter – thank you! This was not just a fundraiser, but a true community effort. Because of you, 500 families across the North Coast entered the Christmas season with food on their tables and hope in their homes. We are proud of what was accomplished and inspired to continue giving back in meaningful ways. Looking ahead, we are excited to build on this momentum and do even more for our communities in 2026.
The RealtorDR Team.
