Members Giving Back:
Palmer District Court ACO Asks for Camping Gear for Haitian Quake Victims
March 25, 2010
At NAGE, we like to applaud members who do good things in their communities—no matter where those communities are. One example is Dennis Hart, an associate court officer in Palmer District Court who is working with two local churches to collect and transport camping gear and other needed supplies to a town in Haiti.
Hart learned from his fellow members of the Upper Room Christian Fellowship Church in West Warren, Mass., that five relief workers from the Warren area were in Haiti when January’s devastating earthquake struck. The volunteers are in Grand Goâve which is a small town of 30,000 approximately 15 miles southwest from the capital of Port-au-Prince. They had been the only outside helpers in the town. Grand Goâve was 90% destroyed by the earthquake of January 12, 2010. All public buildings were destroyed, including the schools, city hall, and police station.
Dennis’s church and the nearby Sturbridge Worship Center Church have teamed up to collect camping supplies to deliver to the town. They have already delivered tents and other camping gear, medical supplies, and more to their volunteers. The coalition has also been rotating volunteers in and out of Haiti, some bringing skills as diverse as medical care and large machine repair.
“We have the opportunity to make such a difference in the lives of the people in Haiti,” said Hart. “The more we can stabilize things for people on the ground with camping and survival gear, the longer they can be safe while we begin rebuilding. The rainy season is coming so we now have some high priority items which need collected.” He said that efforts are now increasing, thanks to the local mission’s new designation as an official regional distribution center for aid. Yet the need remains, Hart said, for more supplies for the residents.
If you have gently used camping gear you can donate to the relief effort, please contact Dennis Hart at 413-283-5021 ex.117. High-priority items include:
- Tents for 3 persons or more. Especially need tents to include rain fly.
- Tarps of 20’ X 20’ or larger.
- Backpacks and back pack frames to help transport smaller items to surrounding areas.
- Rain gear