It's somewhat difficult to understand poverty unless you have seen it with your own eyes.

Michael Kambourakis, owner of Terzako Furs in Caldwell, has witnessed the reality of being poor in the Dominican Republican up close. The furrier has made it his life's mission to bring aid to the poorest people of this country.

I had heard about his efforts in the Dominican Republic—made in conjunction with The Rotary Club of the Caldwells—to send regular shipments of food, clothing and medical supplies from his Bloomfield Avenue shop every week. But it wasn't until recently, when I walked into Terzako Furs for the first time, that I fully understood the enormity of the operation. Seeing is believing.

What I found was a big man with an even bigger heart. Kambourakis showed me the photo albums filled with images from his numerous trips he keeps on a coffee table in his store. He led me to stacks of packed boxes ready to be shipped; a dozen were filled with prescription eyeglasses and eyedrops donated just that day by Eyecare 20/20 in East Hanover. 

With his trace of a Greek accent, the Montville resident tells stories about the hungry children and sick individuals, about how the lack of clean water and proper sanitation has led to an outbreak of cholera. On his short trips, he said he eats little more than the almonds and bottled water he brings with him.

Kambourakis is joined on his missions by friend and employee, Nelson Checo, a native of the country. The regular shipments of items collected from Caldwell and surrounding communities are kept in a warehouse, he explains. From the warehouse, they are hand-delivered in order to make sure they reach those who need them most. They travel on lousy roads from village to village, house to house, to give out items, as well as install toilets and water filtration systems.

The latest shipment went out Saturday, and the next trip is planned for after Christmas. Only this trip is full of uncertainty since the motor of the beat-up pickup truck they use is dead. Money to help buy a new motor—which Checo estimates would cost $1,50o—is badly needed. So are monetary donations to help pay for shipments.

The attached photos are just a few of the thousands these men have brought home as reminders that while we have an abundance of many things and so much to be thankful for, there are others in the world living under very different circumstances—circumstances perhaps unlike any you have ever seen.

Anyone wishing to help Michael Kambourakis on his missions to the Dominican Republic, should contact him at Terzako Furs, 472 Bloomfield Ave., in Caldwell.