(Long Island, N.Y.) When my son rushed up to his room yesterday after school to empty out his piggy bank (with lots of tooth-fairy money) proclaiming he wants to “give all of it to Haiti”, I was beyond touched.
I recently received an email from our PTO chair, that Jim Moran, a Miller Place resident, has sprung into action by coordinating a NY Haiti Relief drive starting in the next week.
Here’s what he passed along. If you can help, or know someone who would like to, please spread the word.
We are currently coordinating a relief effort to help those in Haiti who have been affected by the devastating earthquake.
In an effort to try and maximize the effectiveness of the money donated combined with the ability to get the supplies into the hands of those in need we have decided to partner with Convoy of Hope.
This organization already has an infrastructure setup in Haiti. It was because of this existing infrastructure that over 50,000 meals were able to be distributed within hours of the devastating earthquake. To date they have a fully functional warehouse approx 20 miles outside of Port au Prince with 5 active distribution centers and a 24hr Emergency Triage center.
Yesterday, the Convoy of Hope team distributed 100,000 meals.
“Having partners in Haiti has allowed us access to parts of the city we could have never gotten into,” says Paul Coroleuski, Convoy of Hope’s director of field services who is in Haiti. “Without our partners we
would be like many other relief organizations who have food and supplies in country but are facing enormous logistical and security problems getting those items distributed.”
The task that is left for us is to support the warehouse, distribution centers, and triage center. This will be accomplished by our collective efforts to gather monetary donations and specific items which will be sent to their world headquarters distribution center in Springfield Missouri and then onto Haiti.
After having discussions with the teams currently in Haiti we have developed a list of items that are needed immediately:
- Monetary Donations: this will be used to buy the Sawyer SP180 water filters capable of producing 500 gals of water per day and used in Haiti for the past 2 years.
- Tents
- Tarps
- New 5 Gallon Buckets (used with the water filters)
- New Blankets
- Ready to Eat Food (anything that does not need to be cooked and can be easily opened)
- Hygiene Kits
- Medical Supplies (masks and sterile gloves)
Where / How to donate:
- Online giving at www.convoyofhope.org
- Checks can be made out to Convoy of Hope and sent to Jim Moran – PO Box 488 Miller Place NY 11764
- Monetary and product donations can be made at the Miller Place Fire Dept, 12 Miller Place Rd, (North House) on Saturday 1/23/10 and Sunday 1/24/10 from 9am – 5pm
If you would like to join Jim Moran in this amazing opportunity to help, he can be reached at (631) 821-6200 jmoran6@optonline.net
