Collecting Donations for Haiti

It sure has been a busy few days, but that is the least I can do given what is going on in Haiti today.  Yes this was thrown together at the last minute. We found out on Friday morning of the need for support and we jumped right on it.  Yes, it was last minute but at a time when every moment counts - each minute we wait, each minute those in Haiti are waiting.  We were happy to do whatever we could to support the work Partners in Health was doing in Haiti, and take up the charge to rally our Philly community to participate - gathering the specific items they were asking for.  We were working with charity:water, based on NYC, who works around our world on different water projects. Really great organization that  works with Partners in Health in Haiti.  And Partners in Health also has a long and strong history of providing healthcare for the poor in Haiti.

So, we got to work, crafting emails, reaching out to our respective contacts to get the message out, pushing it through our social networks, tweeting away. It's pretty amazing how fast things can mobilize through internet. Then made a list of potential retail donors and called away.... rejection after rejection (but for good reasons although it still stunk to be rejected... most companies had already donated at the corporate level and donations at local levels were being managed and potentially matched corporately!), but then whole foods in philadelphia offers 210 gallons of water!!!   then we had to break it to them that this was a homegrown grassroots effort and if machinery was needed to move it... well, we might need to scale back just a bit...  so, we went with 150 gallons.

On Sunday, we collected at my Church - so much in donations despite it being last minute and all.  Then folks from the community and random people who heard about it show up with donations.  1 day of collecting, 2 packed full car loads of donations with more at my friends house and more to be picked up.  That night we starting thinking, maybe we should get a truck.  Too tired to think, too congested to breathe, time to get some rest.

Monday's schedule:
10 AM - pick up 150 gallons of water @ whole foods.
11 - 12PM - pack up the rest of the stuff and load it all into the vehicles
12PM - leave for NYC
2-3PM - arrive and unload
3-5PM - head back and be home
5PM - conference call meeting

Here's what happened instead...
9AM - trucks are more expensive than anticipated and no response on possibility of them donating it for charitable reasons. start searching craigslist, penske, uhaul and calling them.
9:45AM - Uhaul truck secured for pick-up at 10:15AM in S.Philly.
9:46AM - get dressed and pack up final bits and ends
10:20AM - arrive at Uhaul, complete paperwork, head to whole foods.
11:10AM - arrive at whole foods. pick up water. decide that friend's van can fit the water + other donations. call uhaul for possibility of returning the truck and getting a refund.
11:45AM - Uhaul says yes on the refund (for the most part at least)! Drive to friend's house to pack up stuff, swap water in truck to van.
11:45 - 1:15PM - move donations in house onto street so easier to load. neighbors look at us as if we are crazy. elderly lady walks out of house and inquires as to what is going on. as we are loading things into the van, she brings out a foam pad to donate, then an old sleeping bag. super cute. we take it and load it into the van.
1:15PM - packed and loaded into the van. go return uhaul. van gets an oil change and tires filled. pick up vietnames hoages across st for a quick meal
1:45PM - finally on the road to NYC
2:15PM - pull over on side of highway - the car is unbalanced with all the water and weight. car is overheating.
2:..

this post has been in draft mode for months so i'm not going to try to update the rest now... but hopefully it gives some insight into our day.  eventually we made it to charity:water and dropped everything off... although on our return we had stop again as our tires were not going to make it.  anyhow, adventures... fun times... scary times... it all worked out just fine.

Praying for Haiti

God my heart cries out for the people of Haiti. I am overwhelmed by the tragedy and the sense of my own helplessness.  I've donated, but I want to do more... I've prayed and I must continue praying.  I must trust the power of prayer, but I can't help but want to be there with my own arms and legs, helping to dig people out and hugging those who have lost so much but have made it. 

I've been watching CNN and Nightline continuously for the past however many hours - the scenes continue to wrench at my heart.  Last night I saw a video clip that brought tears, but this time, tears of joy... as through this desperation, the Haitian people, having no where to sleep but the streets, gathered together to sing praises to God... despite the devastation and all that they had lost... to praise despite their circumstances.  Wow.

I'm also touched by the global community that has come together to help Haiti. Search and rescue, medical, and other experts and personnel from all around the world... China, Brazil, European nations, Russia, US... and many others... joining together to help.  I pray for unity among them all... that they could work together effectively to bring the most help to the Haitian people. Truly... a uniting of nations at work.

And a final thought, amidst all of this devastation and sadness and the few glimmers of joy, the thought that is keeping me up right now... how do we prioritize the issues and needs of our world.  The crises our world faces every day is tremendous.  I can't say to a child starving and freezing to death on the streets of Philadelphia that I must first take care of another problem going on in the world. A life is a life. I suppose the answer is just that - you can prioritize the immediacy of the need, but you can't prioritize human lives. It's not business planning.  Anyways, lots of things going through my mind right now.. but to sum it up... i wish i could physically do more to help.  continue praying everyone... and donating to reputable organizations working there now... worldvision... samaritan's purse... red cross... lots of others I'm sure.