BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – DONATIONS of clothes and shoes continue to pile up as Kittitians give overwhelmingly to the Haiti Relief programme organized through the collaborative efforts of Island Hopper, S L Horsford & Co. Ltd and Woodsrite Enterprise.
Over 120 parcels of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing were collected from the Island Hopper Basseterre outlet and were transported to a holding site yesterday (Feb. 3) in preparation to be shipped to the quake-stricken country on Saturday (Feb. 6).
The Haiti Relief donation drive began January 18, six days after Haiti had been devastated by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that left hundreds of thousands dead and even more homeless. The drive ran for two weeks and donations from hundreds of nationals rolled in to assist the people of Haiti.
Project Manager Brenda Allen told SKNVibes that everyone has willingly joined to provide clothing to the many Haitians who have been deprived of basic needs as a result of the catastrophe. Most heartening to her were the quick response and the generosity of Kittitians in giving to the humanitarian cause.
“From the first day that we sent that notice out, people have responded well. There has not been one day that we have not received items. Even after we sent a notice that we would close off [our receipts] we were still receiving items up until yesterday,” Allen said.
The clothes were sorted by the staff at Island Hopper and were parcelled accordingly. Each box sent a message of hope to the people of Haiti with the words “Un cadeau des peuples de St. Kitts et Nevis” (A gift from the people of St. Kitts and Nevis). A truckload of boxes, bags and barrels is waiting at the port for shipment and last-minute donors can still contact Island Hopper to join in on the relief efforts.
“This has nothing to do with Island Hopper; it is about the people of St. Kitts wanting to assist Haiti and us giving them the opportunity to do that. It’s just that the opportunity was there, we were in a central location and we thought we should add to the humanitarian effort. Every member of staff has donated to this,” the project manager added.
In a press release issued by Island Hopper yesterday (Feb. 3), staff thanked the donors for their “fast and generous” response, adding that the boxed items will “ease the burden for many unfortunate persons in Haiti, some of whom may have lost everything”.
The ship leaves St. Kitts this Saturday and is expected to arrive in Santo Domingo by February 12. Agents on the ground in that country will thereafter truck the boxes over to Haiti within a day or two.
Individuals still interested in donating to Haiti relief, may contact the Red Cross, Salvation Army or Island Hopper as the store may be making another shipment to help Haiti.
