Rotarians' cash buys shelter boxes for Haiti victims

Feb 2 2010 By Jack Abell, Buckinghamshire Advertiser

A ROTARY club has dug deep for those affected by the Haiti earthquake.

The Rotary Club of Gerrards Cross and Chalfont St Peter raised £2,500 to help the victims of the devastating quake.

The money will be used to send five specially-designed packs to the country.

The boxes, which are being sent by the Shelter Box charity, contain a complete survival kit for up to 10 people for six months. They are being sent as part of a nationwide campaign among rotary clubs to transport equipment to the country.

Jim Patterson, president of the club, said: "Because all rotarians are volunteers, there are no staffing, administrative or marketing costs.

"That means that all the money generously donated by local residents and rotarians goes directly and in full to the cause."

Shelter Boxes from rotary clubs in the UK are transported free of charge to Miami, Florida, by Virgin Atlantic.

They then connect with specialist relief flights to the Caribbean nation.

Lasse Petersen, the team manager for the Shelter Box project in Haiti, said: "Port-au-Prince is overflowing with encampments of people sleeping without basic shelter.

"The demand remains enormous, but with the help of our donors, we have flown five aircraft and more than 2,000 Shelter Boxes to aid those left homeless by the quake.

"In the hospitals, orphanages and local communities we are making a difference and thousands more boxes are en route."