Tendring: Charities give money to Haiti earthquake victims (From Gazette)

Tendring: Charities give money to Haiti earthquake victims

2:01pm Tuesday 19th January 2010 in Harwich & Manningtree By Lorraine Price

ROTARY clubs in Harwich and Manningtree have put their hands in their pockets to help victims of the Haiti earthquake.

Manningtree Rotary Club has donated £500 to the aid relief effort in Port-au-Prince after the island was struck by a devastating earthquake on January 12, which left thousands dead.

The money will be ebough to buy one shelter box, which are provided by the shelter box charity.

Each box contains a tent, cooking supplies, tools, food and bedding for 10 people.

David Shearmur, of the rotary club, said: “We have one or two events coming up and we will be continuing to raise money for the Haiti victims.

“A Churches Together service on Sunday at the Manningtree Methodist Church raised £950 for Haiti.”

The Harwich Rotary Club has also put itself forward to help and purchased a total of four shelter boxes for the relief effort, which will be flown out as soon as possible.

Norman Cory, of the Harwich club, said: “The Rotary Club is only too aware that they can only make this contribution because of the generosity of the people of Harwich and Dovercourt who have put money into their collection buckets during the Sea Festival, the Guy Carnival and the Christmas collections and they would like to express their grateful thanks to all those who gave so generously for the needs of others.”

Shelter Box is an international relief organisation, based in the UK but supported globally by Rotary.

More than 700 boxes have been dispatched to Haiti with another 1,000 being prepared for immediate shipment.

Anyone wanting to give to the relief effort can contact their local Rotary Club or drop donations in to the office of Cory and Co, Ablett’s Electrical both in Dovercourt.