GRAHAM MANN
Kimberley Rotary Club
ShelterBox Response Teams from the UK have been active in distributing tents to four hospitals in Kathmandu (many of the hospital buildings had been condemned and medical staff had been treating patients in the open). ShelterBox is committed to doing everything we can for the families devastated by the earthquake in Nepal. When a major disaster such as Nepal’s occurs, we already have our aid on the ground before many new donations are received. While we cannot, therefore, accept donations specifically for the Nepal crisis, your donations ensure that we are ready to help families in desperate need as soon as disaster strikes.
The Government of Canada has launched a matching program which means that for every dollar individual Canadians give to registered charities working in Nepal, the Government will contribute an equal amount to their Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund. At this time ShelterBox Canada will not be submitting donations for matching to the Canadian Government. In order for organizations to participate in matching, they must guarantee that all funds raised will be needed or spent in Nepal at this time.
To be clear ShelterBox is committed to responding in Nepal and providing our aid to those who need it. This will be done first with aid we already have stored in our pre-positioned warehouses. ShelterBox is currently providing aid to nine disasters around the world: floods in Pakistan, Niger and North Korea; conflict in Iraq, Syria and Cameroon; typhoon in Philippines; cyclone in Vanuata and the earthquake in Nepal. ShelterBox receives, on average, an appeal for disaster aid once every two weeks. Most of these disasters receive little media attention. We must be able to restock our warehouses that we are rapidly draining to rush aid to Nepal.
“The local response has been fantastic. With so many friends and relatives who were on the ground close to the epicentre of this horrific earthquake there is a full appreciation of the hardships being experienced by this beautiful and now devastated country”, stated Graham Mann, Kimberley Rotary ShelterBox Ambassador. “The reaction local donors have to ShelterBox Canada’s decision on currently not applying for matching funds has been very understanding. Their number one request is to get those lifesaving boxes to those in need as fast as possible. In the first two days of our Nepal campaign $80,000 was donated online by Canadians.”
Please donate now. Go to www.shelterboxcanada.org or deposit your cheque payable to ShelterBox Canada at the Kootenay Savings Credit Union in Kimberley. All donations of $20 or more will receive a tax receipt. Picking up your favorite pizza? Ask for the ShelterBox cash jar at Grubstake Pizza. Many thanks from those who lost everything.