1,050 Haitian Households Receive Rice, Beans, and Vegetable Oil
CRWRC Newsroom | March 4, 2010
Jean Wilbert, his wife Marie, their five children, and his mother survived the earthquake in Haiti. While it was the second floor of their house in Masson that was destroyed, they are afraid to live in what’s left of the house until it is repaired or replaced; like so many others, their landlord has no insurance and cannot afford to repair the house himself. So Jean is building a shelter from found materials while they try to establish what to do next. Jean, a driver, is finding it difficult to find work, and Marie, a dressmaker, is unable to sew because her sewing machine was damaged. Their five children who had been attending school nearby are also at loose ends; school has been cancelled since the earthquake. Jean Wilbert and his family are one of the many families who are extremely grateful to be recipients of CRWRC’s recent food distribution.
On March 2nd 1,050 households received rice, black beans, and vegetable oil. These essentials are critical to these families whose incomes have been dramatically reduced or eliminated because of the earthquake. Another benefit for the families in the Masson community is that they won’t be forced to eat the seeds which have been saved for the coming planting season. In fact, since it appears that the rains are coming early, many in the community are in their fields planting crops of beans, corn, sorghum, various vegetables, and sugarcane.
The food distribution was funded through the Canadian Food Grains Bank (CFGB), and organized by George and Toni Fernhout, CRWRC International Response Managers (IRMs). Many enthusiastic and grateful volunteers carried out the work. Four depots were established, and people waited patiently in long lines to receive their 50 kg of rice, 6.3 kg of black beans, and 1 gallon of vegetable oil, which they carried away on their heads or carted away on a motorcycle or in a wheelbarrow.
George and Toni Fernhout will return to Masson shortly to discuss upcoming house inspections and the building of temporary shelters.
The people of Haiti continue to need your help.
Donate online: US | Canada
Checks, marked "Haiti Earthquake 2010" can also be sent to:
CRWRC-US
2850 Kalamazoo Ave SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49560
Ph: 1-800-55-CRWRC
CRWRC-Canada
3475 Mainway
P.O. Box 5070 STN LCD 1
Burlington, Ontario, L7R 3Y8
Ph: 1-800-730-3490
- by Christina de Jong, CRWRC Communications,
and George and Toni Fernhout, CRWRC IRMs