The Mennonite Central Committee in Kitchener has assembled about a thousand emergency relief kits for earthquake victims in Haiti.
Resource Development Director, Dan Driedger tells 570 News it takes about two thousand kits to fill a container and they'd like to do that, then look for a means of shipping it to Haiti.
The goal is to collect 20 thousand relief kits across North America.
Driedger says the MCC has been overwhelmed by the response from the community to the efforts. He says they have more than enough volunteers on-hand to pack the kits and thanks to "Operation Co-operation" there are now more than two dozen drop-off locations around the region. Operation Co-operation brings together area municipalities and businesses to not only add drop-off locations but also generate donations through staff fundraising drives. Participating businesses include UW Research & Technology Park, University of Waterloo, CTV Southwestern Ontario, IBI Group, The May Court Nearly New Shop, Region of Waterloo Emergency Medical Services and St. John Ambulance. For a complete list of area drop-off locations, click
here.
Driedger says the "hands-on" aspect of the emergency relief kit effort has brought families out in droves. While money is always helpful, Driedger says supplying and packing a relief kit instills a sense of community while making an impression of caring and compassion on children and showing them the true value of helping others.