Red Cross Blogs

Your unwanted ‘stuff’ can save lives in Haiti

By Mark Cox
January 25, 2010 at 5:40 pm

So there you are, perched on the sofa watching the Haitian catastrophe unfold on the evening news and wishing you could do more to help. Well, now you can.

Until Saturday 13 February, our 323 British Red Cross shops will be accepting stock to sell directly in support of the DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal. Just say that you want your goods to be sold for Haiti and they will be labelled appropriately for shoppers to see. That means every penny raised from your donated items will go to help those caught up in the Haitian crisis.

You might not realise it but, just sitting there at home, you’re literally surrounded by potentially life-saving equipment. Those already-watched DVDs on the shelf by the telly? Bring in a couple of quid each, probably. That bookshelf groaning under the weight of too many hardbacks? Another couple of quid each. Those unwanted Xmas pressies and stlll-decent clothes skulking away at the back of the wardrobe? They’ll all bring in urgently needed cash.

So far, so impressive. But it’s when you start looking at what this money can actually buy that things really come into focus. That two pounds from your DVD can buy a blanket to keep people warm during the night. Three pounds can buy a mosquito net, vital in stopping the spread of disease among a vulnerable and hungry population packed close together in camps. And just ten pounds can buy a big tarpaulin sheet to provide shelter, privacy and a bit of dignity for a whole family.

As my blogging colleague Claire so eloquently explained recently, the Red Cross doesn’t send items to disaster zones – the bottom line is that we need money to save lives. By handing in your unwanted items for Haiti, you’ll enable us to buy more vital supplies – such as kitchen, shelter and personal hygiene kits. When you’ve been left with nothing but the clothes on your back, these are the things that make all the difference.

I’ve already started trawling through my stuff (you’ll be surprised just what turns up) and strongly recommend you do the same. It’s a win-win situation: you’ll be helping to save lives while making your personal life a little more orderly. Please join in the effort to help people in Haiti – and forward this blog on to your friends and family so they can help too.

And the next time you see a piece about Haiti on the news, it’ll be with a less cluttered home and a sense of pride that you’ve done your bit to help.

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Tags: disaster response, donate, earthquake, emergency response, fundraising, Haiti, Haiti earthquake, Red Cross shops

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 5:40 pm and is filed under Emergencies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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