Kids camp out to raise funds for Haiti shelterboxes

Camp out to raise funds for life saving shelterboxes

From Saturday, January 23 at 11am until Sunday, January 24 at 4pm, local children’s service organizations will be camping out at Peg Noonan Park (Main Street, Falmouth, MA) in a ShelterBox identical to those being sent to assist the people left homeless after the devastating earthquakes destroying much of Haiti last week.

Click for a larger view of the shelterbox. Image courtesy of shelterboxusa.org.

Local children will be joined by volunteers from the Falmouth Young Professionals, Rotary Club, Police Athletic League, Falmouth Chamber of Commerce, as well as private business owners and the United States Coast Guard.  The event will help to raise funds and awareness for the Rotary International affiliated ShelterBox organization. ShelterBox is a project of Rotary International that has been assembling and sending out disaster relief supplies for over 10 years. These are pre-packaged, ready to use, relief kits.

Each ShelterBox costs approximately $1,000 US.   Shelterboxes contain 1 tent that can house 10 people.  It also includes thermal blankets, water purifier, a basic toolkit, a stove (can burn anything from diesel to old paint), and utensils to eat with and cook with as well as water storage containers. But before they can be sent, they have to be funded and built.

The ShelterBox organization has sent out these kits for major disasters worldwide - earthquakes in Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, mudslides in Chile and the Philippines, and many other spots. The delivery teams are highly trained and regulated, and work under the direction of aid organizations in place, rather than crowding or confusing the scene with too many disparate groups. Here in the US, Rotary Clubs are seeking to fund and put together boxes for immediate delivery.  For more information, visit http://shelterboxusa.org.  

Courtesy of Falmouth Young Professionals.

The Falmouth Young Professionals organization is a committee of the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce dedicated to supporting young adults on Cape Cod by creating a platform for our members to build relationships, develop professionally, become civically and philanthropically active and to enrich our community.  For more information on the Falmouth Young Professionals. call 508.548.8500 or visit www.ypfalmouth.com.