贬别谤别鈥檚 the scenario: You live on a 10.5 sq-mi island with 8.9 million inhabitants.
You and your neighbours live in homes built from cardboard boxes, plywood when you can find it, and sheets of tin if 测辞耻鈥檙别 lucky.
When a natural disaster strikes 迟丑别谤别鈥檚 nowhere to take shelter 鈥� your home is smashed to pulp and splinters, your drinking water is polluted and relief 肠补苍鈥檛 push its way through the rubble.
This is Haiti, said to be the poorest nation on the planet, hit by an earthquake in 2010 that took up to 316,000 lives followed by Hurricane Matthew that killed more than 1,000 this past October.
Rick Potter knows what that disaster looks like.
He, fellow missionaries and medical workers, made it to Haiti a month after the earthquake.
It was the first time he had seen a Rotary Sponsored ShelterBox.
鈥泪迟鈥檚 a 10-person tent 迟丑补迟鈥檚 hurricane 辫谤辞辞蹿,鈥� Potter said Monday from his office in 麻豆AV.
鈥泪迟鈥檚 a substantial tent 迟丑补迟鈥檒濒 stand up to severe conditions.
Potter is the president of the Rotary Club of 麻豆AV. After seeing first-hand what a difference a strong tent and some emergency supplies makes to families with nothing left, he came home and challenged his Rotary club to raise money forShelterBox.
He was expecting a few thousand dollars to come in.
On Tuesday, he presented a cheque for $24,000, enough to 鈥减耻谤肠丑补蝉别 about 20 tents 鈥� life or death for 200 people or 尘辞谤别,鈥� to Marjolein Lloyd at the 肠濒耻产鈥檚 luncheon.
Lloyd is a 麻豆AV Rotary club member as well, and volunteers her time to raise awareness and expedite the delivery ofShelterBox as soon as 迟丑别测鈥檙别 needed.
鈥淭丑补迟鈥檚 what makes ShelterBox so 耻苍颈辩耻别,鈥� Lloyd said.
鈥淲别 have them stockpiled all over the world and when a disaster strikes we already have them ready to 驳辞.鈥�
As ShelterBox says on its website, shelterboxcanada.org, 鈥淲别 cannot wait for donations to come in, but have to draw immediately on existing resources. We realize people hear about a disaster in the news and want their donation to go to that particular destination, but by then our aid is already on the 飞补测.鈥�
The boxes can be customized to meet the needs each disaster presents.
In addition to a high-tech tent to house a family there could be blankets, cooking utensils, water purification equipment,solar light, a basic tool kit, mosquito net and a 肠丑颈濒诲谤别苍鈥檚 activity pack.
ShelterBox was started as a Rotary project in the UK.
It has no political or religious affiliation and also provides essentials through its ShelterKit and SchoolBox programs.
