Local club stepping up to help Haiti

The death toll continues to rise after a weekend earthquake hit the city of Les Caves in Haiti.

By Tuesday, the death toll sat at 1,941 with another 9,900 reported injured. Tropical Storm Grace has also hit the island which is making recovery even more difficult.

The Melfort Rotary Club has already started fundraising for Haiti thanks to a partnership with Shelterbox; a non-profit organization that provides emergency relief in the form of “offering emergency shelter and other essential items to support them in rebuilding their lives,” according to their website, with kits containing a family-sized tent, as well as tools, kitchen supplies, solar lights and activities and school supplies for children.

“We just think that Shelterbox is a wonderful organization and gives immediate aid. There’s no government strings tied to it so they can get into disaster areas very quickly. And we just really enjoy and think that it’s really important to partner with Shelterbox and to get that kind of aid to people in disasters immediately,” said Gailmarie Anderson, past district governor and member of the Melfort Rotary Club.