Report on Epiphany’s Response for Haiti Relief

As of Thursday, January 21, our parish members have contributed over $19,000 in donated funds for earthquake relief. What a flood of generosity--possibly the largest Epiphany special collection for emergency relief ever. These funds are being channeled through Louisville Catholic Charities to Catholic Relief Services, which has pledged that 100% of these collections will go to direct relief.

CRS sends out frequent reports on their activity in Haiti. These reports are quite moving, especially in their description of CRS staffers themselves living and working outside, yet managing to do effective emergency relief. Here is the report for Thursday morning (January 21, 2010):

• Each day more CRS staff from around the globe arrive in Haiti, joining our existing staff of just over 300. Our headquarters building in Haiti was damaged but did not collapse. While aftershocks continued—including a 6.1 temblor this morning— staff slept outside and worked at desks pulled into the streets. Despite enormous logistical challenges, one week after the devastating earthquake CRS staff has unloaded 120 containers (2100 metric tons) of vegetable oil and grains from the U.S. government onto the only operating wharf in Port-au-Prince. We are in the process right now of arranging for secure transport to our warehouse, where it will be distributed to the growing number of camps. CRS has been asked by the United Nations to lead the response at one of the first formally organized camps, located at a golf course, where as many as 50,000 people are sleeping every night. CRS has arranged to supply the camp with water, food, and plastic sheeting for shelter, which continue to be trucked in from CRS warehouses in the neighboring Dominican Republic, where volunteers are working continuously to keep additional relief supplies coming.
• CRS has formed six medical teams to provide health care at shelters and area hospitals and CRS teams have already distributed medical supplies and drugs. In addition, Project C.U.R.E. has donated 3000 pounds of additional medical supplies that are en route. Three operating rooms at St. Francois de Sales Hospital—which withstood the quake — are now running, and surgeries are being performed on the most critically injured patients. Food, water and medical supplies have also been provided to the hospital. An AIDSRelief site, this is one of Haiti's oldest hospitals and one that CRS helped build. Its mission is to provide free care and treatment for the poor.
• CRS is extremely grateful for the outpouring of support we have received in response to this calamity. But we can't stress enough how significant the damage is and how many of our brothers and sisters are affected. We are asking you to please support our efforts to help the millions of earthquake victims in Haiti.

For more stories and photos, please go to The Catholic Relief Services website. The CRS blog is especially interesting.

We will continue to accept donations on behalf of CRS. Please make checks to Church of Epiphany, and write "CRS: Haiti" on the memo line.