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Haiti relief efforts are asking yachtsmen to dig out their old sails from lofts, garages and boat sheds. The people in Haiti are in desperate need of shelter and these sails can be made into makeshift tents. The healthy people who survived the earthquake are now becoming ill due to exposure to the elements and old sails could make all the difference to their survival.
Tents, rice, cooking oil, beans, pasta, feminine hygiene products, water purifiers, water makers, medical supplies and more money to purchase these disaster relief supplies are the top items needed to help Haitian earthquake victims. Tax-deductible donations can be made to Haiti-life.org, a non-profit, 501c3, organization.
Please deliver your sails to:
Shake a Leg Miami at 2620 South Bayshore Drive, Miami, FL 33133-5424
+1 305 858-5550 between 8:00am and 5:00pm.
Identify them for shipment to Haiti by writing "HAITI" on them.
Click here to follow the progress of Sea Flower, a privately chartered cargo ship, which will leave for Haiti with 15,000 pallets of supplies, including used sails, as soon as it is fully loaded with relief supplies. Since 28 January the boat has been loaded with shipments of supplies collected by other non-profit groups, that have been frustrated in their efforts to get goods to the island.
"We are bypassing the clogged arteries of Port Au Prince. And we are seeking support in the form of 1) monies to fund shipment, 2) materials for various organisations and 3) relationships with a variety of aid and non-profit entities needing support to continue work in the Haitian communities," said Robert Dietrich who has family in Haiti and has been funding a Haitian school for years.
The Sea Flower will set off from the Miami River with used sails from North Sails Fort Lauderdale loft, Second Wind Sails and Coconut Grove Sails and Canvas. For some of Mike Toppa's clients at the North Sails loft in Fort Lauderdale, the news was enough to make the decision to donate rather than hold onto them for another season.
NGOs, shipping and logistics and volunteers are doing everything in their power to coordinate the collection, shipping and delivery of desperately needed supplies.
Source: worldregattas.com
Related links
Haiti Life - website
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