| Mercedes Olivera: D-FW doing its part to help quake victims 01/27/2001 By / The Dallas Morning News Residents have opened their hearts and wallets to help earthquake victims in El Salvador.
Only a week into a collection drive, more than $17,000 had been donated at Carnival Food Stores throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. And local churches continue to organize collections for money, food and supplies.
The earthquake on Jan. 13 killed more than 650 people and damaged or destroyed 91,000 homes.
The estimated 100,000 Salvadoran refugees in North Texas were among those who responded quickly.
The Carnival Food Store at 1706 W. Irving Blvd. in Irving collected $4,000 in a four-hour drive Saturday with little advance notice, said Debbie Ellis, vice president for Minyard Food Stores Inc., which owns Carnival.
A radio station helped spread the word.
"It was an incredible outpouring of support," Ms. Ellis said.
Officials at the Catholic Diocese of Dallas said a special collection in the 75 diocesan parishes brought in larger-than-expected donations Sunday. The total amount collected hadn't been figured by Friday.
"One of the richest parishes collected $8,000, while one of the poorest collected $5,000," said Sister Nancy Sullivan, who coordinates Catholic Relief Services for the diocese.
Sister Sullivan said no advance word had been given of the extra Sunday collection.
"Clearly, their hearts were touched," she said, because many "must have given away the rent money."
The Oak Cliff United Methodist Church also is busy collecting basic supplies, such as detergent, soap, shampoo, towels, washcloths and blankets, the Rev. Beatriz Pacheco said.
"We're asking for very specific items, especially cleaning supplies," she said.
Church members will have a collection drive at the church, 549 E. Jefferson Blvd., on Feb. 10. All donations will go to the United Methodist Committee on Relief, which will ship the supplies to El Salvador. For more information, call the national office at 1-800-554-8583 (toll-free).
• Teatro Dallas will have its eighth International Theater Festival in February at the South Dallas Cultural Center, 3400 S. Fitzhugh St.
It's an appropriate place for this year's theme: a celebration of African heritage and cultural contributions to Latin America, said Cora Cardona, founder and artistic director of Teatro Dallas.
This year's productions include works by Peruvian, Brazilian, Mexican and Cuban playwrights or performers.
The festival opens Fridayand Saturday with the play El Baúl Oscuro.
Dr. Carlos García Martínez, former director of the Third Root project in Mexico, will give a lecture on African influence in Mexican culture Feb. 9-10. After his lecture there will be a one-act play, The Repetition, by Cuban playwright Anton Arrufat, featuring masks and music.
The Brazilian group AVATAR will present a production Feb. 16-17 that explores the effects of colonialism in Latin America through rituals and Afro-Brazilian ceremonies.
A San Antonio group, Jump Start Performers Company, will close the festival Feb. 23-24. It will present a musical comedy that explores the relationship between a Mexican-American family and a black family.
For more information, call 214-741-1135.
Mercedes Olivera can be reached at P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, TX, 75265.
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