By Susan Bromley
Staff Writer
Hundreds of thousands of Haitians are sleeping outside after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated the impoverished island nation Jan. 12.
The Ortonville Rotary Club hopes to help ease their suffering with assistance from the community.
A Rotary charity, ShelterBoxUSA, is providing disaster relief by sending ShelterBoxes to Haiti. The 49-gallon boxes to be shipped to the country each contain a 10-person ‘winter-suitable? (by international relief standards) tent with two fabric interior privacy partitions, outer fly-sheet and repair kit; vinyl insulated sleeping mats and lightweight thermal blankets; a pack of 180 water purification tablets or a water purification kit, with each tablet purifying a full container of water, providing 1,800 gallons of clean drinking water, sufficient for a family of 10 for up to three months; one 5-gallon flat-pack water container; two 2.1 gallon, collapsible, plastic water carriers; one collapsible trenching shovel; 164-foot rope; repellant-treated mosquito netting; 10 PVC ponchos/10 HD plastic bags; tool kit in canvas bag; multi-fueled cook stove; eating utensils, enamel plates and cups; and a children’s activity kit with simple school supplies, stickers and coloring book.
The Ortonville Rotary Club is accepting donations for the non-profit 501 (C)(3) organization. If you can help, make checks payable to the Ortonville Rotary Club for ShelterBoxUSA and send to Ortonville Rotary Club, P.O. Box 587, Ortonville, MI 48462. Donations can also be dropped off at MacPhee’s Restaurant, 650 S. Ortonville Road or the Brandon School District Central Office, 1025 S. Ortonville Road. Details Ortonville Rotary President Ernie Ludwig at 248-627-4203.