Archive for January 14th, 2010
The rumors circulating about UPS shipping 50 lbs. of free clothes and food to Haiti are NOT true. UPS released to following official statement on the false claims:
“Please know that the rumor about UPS free shipping to Haiti is not true. The damage to roads and communications networks means that our own shipping services to Haiti are on hold. UPS is donating $1 million (USD) in aid to Haiti relief and we’re working with a number of agencies involved in these efforts. You can find more details and a list of places to donate at our blog http://blog.ups.com/.”
The Salvation Army is accepting monetary donations to assist relief efforts via:
- Text the word ‘HAITI’ to 52000.
- 1-800-SAL-ARMY
- Postal mail at:
The Salvation Army World Service Office
International Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 630728
Baltimore, MD 21263-0728
(*designate checks and money orders to ‘Haiti Earthquake’)
Now you can use your cell phones to donate to the relief effort in Haiti!
Simply text the word ‘Haiti’ to 52000 to make a $10 donation.
It works nationally and with all carriers, and the money will go directly to The Salvation Army’s World Service Office.
If you’re looking for a way to help but can’t be in Haiti to lend a hand, help the helpers. Monetary donations are the best way to support relief workers, and $10 can go a long way!
You can also donate through:
- 1-800-SAL-ARMY
- Postal mail at:
The Salvation Army World Service Office
International Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 630728Baltimore, MD 21263-0728
*Please note that your donation is for Haiti Earthquake relief*
USA Today is hosting a LIVE CHAT this afternoon with on the ground disaster relief workers from The Salvation Army. Their article below gives more detail on the 2:30pm ET chat and information on how to submit your own questions. Be sure to join in and get first hand information from those who experienced the earthquake and are there working on the front lines.
From USA Today (Jan. 14, 2010):
“The Salvation Army’s Director of Disaster Services for Haiti Bob Poff and Lt. Col. Dan Starrett along with Operation Blessing International’s President Bill Horan will be available from 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET today to address your questions about the crisis in Haiti.
Send your questions in advance by leaving a comment below, or check back later today for the live chat. We’ve already got some great ones, so please keep sending them in!
Click Here for the Cover It Live chat box at 2:30 p.m. ET.”
Stay up to date with what The Salvation Army is doing in Haiti! In addition to our blog, here are some key media resources where you can find information as it happens:
- Twitter – Follow tweets by Major George Polarek of The Salvation Army World Services Office’s as he travels to Haiti and is involved with disaster relief.
- Facebook – view updates, photos, and videos on the following Pages:
- www.salvationarmyhaiti.org – A resource of updates, photos, and videos about the ongoing crisis in Haiti put together by our own Salvation Army Officers who experienced the earthquake and are currently in the middle of relief efforts.
This morning Salvation Army officers working in Port-Au-Prince reported that approximately 50 bodies were dropped off in front of The Salvation Army office. There is an overwhelming need for food, water, and medical assistance. The Salvation Army is mobilizing personnel and resources to send to Haiti in response to the need with the help of your generous donations.
This includes 44,000 lbs of emergency rations, packaged and ready to move from the Midwest.
- 285,120 meals
- 20 pallets, each box is 33 lbs, 66 boxes per pallet,
- Each box has rice, soy and vitamins, and is plastic wrapped for disaster
The Salvation Army is working with other agencies to identify appropriate air transportation to move the already-packaged food as quickly as possible.
- The first Salvation Army assessment team is awaiting passage in the Turks and Caicos Islands as air space into Haiti is currently limited to military transport. This team will support personnel already on-the-ground in Haiti, where The Salvation Army has had a presence since the 1950s.
- As with all such relief efforts, The Salvation Army’s initial focus, in addition to the safety and security of officers, staff and volunteers in Haiti, will be to assess the immediate needs of the people affected by the earthquake, then utilize its resources to mobilize and ship food, water and other critical necessities to where they are most needed.
On a more personal note, Salvation Army Office Major Tom Louden passed on an encouraging account of how he and his team were able to support troubled Haitians even though their flight was delayed from getting into Haiti.
Their plane landed in the Turks and Caicos Islands Wednesday to refuel when the party was told they could not fly to Haiti due to the block on military planes. They instead would have to spend the night in a hotel on the Islands.
While they were waiting overnight, disappointed about the delay, they decided to go eat at a local restaurant. They say down and made small talk with the waitress, telling her their situation and that they would be continuing on to Haiti in the morning.
The waitress then told Major Louden and the group that the cooks in the restaurant were all from Haiti, and they were deeply worried about their family members. They had not heard from them at all and had no idea if they were dead or alive. Some of the cooks were so overwhelmed with worry for their loved ones that they had not been to sleep since the earthquake happened.
When the waitress went to the kitchen and told the cooks about her dinner patrons, the chefs came out and surrounded the table, talking with The Salvation Army team about their families and crying. The team embraced the workers as they wept and ministered and prayed with them there in the restaurant.
The cooks gave The Salvation Army team a list of names of their family members to look for while they are in Haiti and a phone number to call if they find any of them alive. Encouraged by the fortuitous meeting, Major Tom described the encounter as very emotional and moving.
What an amazing story about how The Salvation Army team was able to serve Haitians even before landing in the country. Here is some more background on our organization’s presence in Haiti:
The Salvation Army has had a presence in Haiti since 1950. Its personnel were affected by the earthquake and are now working to assist people in need.
- The Salvation Army operates schools, clinics, hospital, feeding programs, children’s homes and church-related activities through some 60 Corps community centers across the country.
- One Salvation Army compound near Port Au Prince experienced severe damage, including collapsed buildings; No one was injured in the collapse.
- The Salvation Army in Haiti is currently assessing damage and need throughout the country.
- Once damage and needs are assessed – and supplies arrive – The Salvation Army hopes to begin distribution on a small scale of items including food, water and tents.
- Bob Poff, the Director of Disaster Services for The Salvation Army in Haiti, shares his story about the earthquake here: http://bit.ly/5dmVsD and http://bit.ly/7glM8B and http://bit.ly/5dWkTw.
- For the latest information about The Salvation Army’s activity in Haiti, please visit http://www.salvationarmyhaiti.org/ or their Facebook pages at http://bit.ly/6T7KHa and http://bit.ly/6e9aUs.
- All photos, video and other material on these pages are free for public and media distribution.
Monetary donations are the most critical need as supplies and personnel are mobilized. Donations can be made through:
- 1-800-SAL-ARMY
- The Salvation Army World Service Office
International Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 630728Baltimore, MD 21263-0728
*Please note that your donation is for Haiti Earthquake relief*
o The Salvation Army has committed more than $850,000 to support relief efforts in Haiti.
o As of Thursday morning, The Salvation Army had raised more than $762,000 in online donations and through 1800-SAL-ARMY.
Stay updated on The Salvation Army’s disaster relief efforts in Haiti:
Angie's Father Bob Poff, Director of Disaster Services in Haiti, was 2 miles from the earthquake's epicenter in Port au Prince
When news reached Angie Pennington in Lincoln, Nebraska of the catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti, she was gripped with distress worrying about the state of the country and its citizens, but Angie’s anxiety came from more than just her humanitarian heart – she knew her father was in the middle of the chaos.
Angie Pennington, a Salvation Army Captain, is the daughter of Bob Poff, The Salvation Army’s Director of Disaster Services in Haiti whose account of the earthquake we posted yesterday. Amazingly, Angie had no idea if her father was alive until she saw him in the news, giving interviews to the national news networks that are covering the scene.
The Lincoln Journal Star featured the story of this crisis that really hit home for one Salvation Army family. Read it here:
Lincoln Salvation Army leader has familial connection to earthquake relief efforts
We are incredibly thankful that Bob and other Salvation Army officers and staff are safe and working tirelessly to help those who are in the midst of great suffering.
Through media interviews, Bob Poff has been doing an incredible job of making the outside world aware of Haiti’s turmoil and overwhelming need. The relief efforts have only just begun, so please take a moment to visit our donations page where you can instantly contribute to the massive aid effort that is currently underway.
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The Latest and Immediate news on The Salvation Army relief efforts in Haiti
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