Union City developer and real estate consultant Orlando Bru remembers life when he first arrived in the States from Havana, Cuba back in 1955. Fleeing from a dictatorship, Bru left his native homeland to start anew. Like many immigrants, he arrived with very little money and the clothes on his back. He will never forget the first hard winter that year.
“I remember that icy cold on my skin when I first arrived in this great country,” said Bru, who owns Orlando Bru Mgt. and O.B. Construction Co., “and I didn’t have the economic means to buy myself a coat that would shield me from the winter.”
Many years later, having achieved so many of his dreams and aspiring to more for his American-born children, Bru has also spent his lifetime giving back to his fellow man.
In one of his latest endeavors, Bru has started a coat drive for the people of his Hudson County community.
“Through so many cold winters, we’ve heard and seen so many poor people that don’t have coats to cover them,” said Bru.
The drive
After discussing the subject with a group of friends who were complaining about what to do with their old winter coats, Bru came up with the idea for the drive.
“I told them not to throw out their coats and donate them to people who really need them,” said Bru. “This is how the idea came about to do something useful for the community where we live, which is better than sitting down and doing nothing.”
Bru’s group of close friends, who have always helped him with his many charitable projects, thought it would be ideal. Bru immediately began to ask for donations from his friends and his community.
“I remember so many times walking the streets of Hoboken with chapped purple lips because of the cruel winter,” said Bru. “I’m asking all my friends and our entire community not to throw out their old coats, and remember how many of you also went through those hard times when we had nothing and endured the cold.”
Since beginning around the first or second of July, Bru has collected approximately 160 coats from the community, with the aid of some friends helping him out on the project. Those who make donations fill out a tag card that is attached to the coat with their name and information, so that the recipients know who it was from. If they choose, they can send a personal thank you for their generosity.
Some well-known names have also dropped by and made donations for Bru’s cause.
“Bret Schundler brought a couple of children’s coats,” said Bru.
Thanks
As a thank-you to all who have made donations, Bru is giving out his most recent self-published book of poems entitled “Amar es…Inquietud,” and a certificate of thanks signed by him and other friends who have taken a strong interest in the project, such as Rosa Pinal, a friend who helps with a lot of his charitable projects, and Antonio Ibarria, the chairman of a local group called Save Latin America.
Bru believes that the success of this coat drive is in the many family and friends who have rallied by his side to make this project possible.
“I feel family is fundamental, but having friends is also fundamental,” said Bru. “This is the first time we’re doing this, and the first time is always the hardest, but the second time will be that much better.”
Donations for the drive will be accepted until August 31. On Saturday, Sept. 18 following a free breakfast, people will be able to come to the Hispanic Mercantile Federation of New Jersey, 4111-13 Palisade Ave., Union City, and choose from a variety of men’s, women’s and children’s coats.
The federation, which has served Hispanics in the Hudson County area since the 1960s aiding with business loans and insurance, has volunteered their space for the coat drive.
“I love using this vehicle as a way of getting to the community,” said Bru. “The idea isn’t to get more donations; it’s to help people and do some good.”
Other help
Bru is grateful for his many accomplishments, including owning his own record label called Discolando, which represented some of the best known Latin American artists from the late ’60s to the early ’80s. Bru has also had the opportunity to live in California and travel around the world, but he never forgets his humble beginnings.
“The good and the bad that burns itself into your memory, you never forget,” said Bru. “It’s like a novel you revisit.”
In addition to the coat drive he just started, Bru also does an annual toy drive he started almost four years ago, which will also start to accept donations after Thanksgiving, and his dream is to open a community food kitchen in Union City, where the less fortunate could come in once a day and get a meal.
“We must remember that to give is better than to receive,” said Bru.
For anyone interested in helping Orlando Bru or to make donations, Bru and company can be reached at (201) 865-0383. Donations can also be sent to 2112 Bergenline Ave., Union City.