Scugog service club to send along five aid packages
Jan 15, 2010 - 04:20 PM
By Chris Hall
SCUGOG -- The Rotary Club of Port Perry has joined global efforts to aid those struggling to survive after a deadly earthquake struck Haiti earlier this week.
The Scugog service club has ponied up $5,000 for five ShelterBoxes sent to the impoverished Caribbean nation, which saw an earthquake recorded at 7.0 on the Richter scale strike on Jan. 12.
"We were looking at doing something and this has got to be the most worthwhile thing we can do," said club president Aubrey Oppers. "This is a real disaster for the people of Haiti. It's such a poor country."
The idea to fund the ShelterBoxes stems from the club's most recent weekly meeting, held on Jan. 13. At that time, club members held a brief discussion on what could be done to assist the recovery efforts.
A decision was postponed until the next day, when the local club learned that all member clubs in District 7070 (which stretches from the western edge of Toronto to Port Hope) were being challenged by a Toronto-area club to provide as many aid packages as possible.
"It was something we wanted to do," Mr. Oppers said. "I think we more than matched their challenge."
A large, plastic container, each ShelterBox contains enough supplies to last 10 people for about six months. It includes a 10-person tent, sleeping bags, light and heat sources, clean water, cooking supplies and tools.
It's expected that several hundred of the aid containers will soon be on their way to the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, courtesy of local Rotary clubs.
As of Jan. 15, it's believed that as many as 50,000 people were killed in the quake, with thousands more at risk from thirst, hunger and disease.
Canadian officials also announced on Jan. 15 that more than 1,400 Canadians are unaccounted for.
Anyone interested in assisting the Rotary Club of Port Perry and making a donation towards the ShelterBox program can contact Mr. Oppers at 905-985-4910.
Contributions to the local Red Cross chapter can be made by calling 1-800-418-1111, e-mailing durham_region@redcross.ca or visiting www.redcross.ca.
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