Remember the massive earthquake that hit Haiti last January? Sure you do, we all do. Once the rest of the world got wind of the catastrophic magnitude of it, nearly everybody was looking for some way to give donations or volunteer support.
You may also vaguely remember an all-day benefit concert that was organized by two 20-somethings under the impromptu non-profit, You&I. Maybe you received a Facebook invite, read articles or even watched the report by Channel 5 News. The event was held 11 days after the earthquake first hit and organizers announced they’d be collecting medical supplies and cash donations.
The owners of 3 Brothers Deli & Brewhouse offered their space, beer and food, and next-door neighbor, Music City Medical Supply, gave some 75 boxes of medical supplies ranging from syringes to catheters. Attendees to the 12-hour music benefit provided cases of bottled water, blankets and food. Everyone pitched in to help in some fashion—some even gave money, which was handed over to the American Red Cross.
What you may not know is that all of the supplies collected are still housed in the basement of one of the event organizers. Yes, you heard that correctly—none of the supplies made it to Haiti. In fact, they never went to help anybody, not even fellow Middle Tennesseans who were hit with torrential flooding last May.
As much of an eye-opener as this may be, my intent isn’t to point fingers, call names or sling mud, rather to educate and tell people to be more aware. In short, do your homework. That’s the advice given to me by Beth Ferguson, spokeswoman for the Heart of Tennessee Chapter of the American Red Cross.
“Do your research, and do your homework,” she stressed. “Don’t just give blindly. Know what the organization does. Make sure it’s a reputable charity, and check the charity’s rating.”
Especially during times of disaster, people are looking for ways to help out. Supposed non-profit organizations will pop up out of nowhere, claiming to stand for one cause or another. Once the dust settles, however, they oftentimes can’t or won’t follow through completely.
Ferguson also pointed out that folks are more willing to give things than donate money, but then man hours are spent sorting the items, dollars are spent shipping them and the process proves lengthy.
“It is much more efficient to deal with cash donations and get (money) into the hands of victims,” Ferguson explained. “It brings them a sense of normalcy and allows them to buy exactly what they need. And during a disaster, when we get money to an area immediately, people can start spending dollars in their local economy immediately.”
The Red Cross also receives a plethora of volunteers, but not all of them are certified, which creates a completely different problem.
“Lots of times, if you throw people at a problem, it just magnifies the problem,” Ferguson continued. “Everybody wants to help, but we need people that are already trained. We always encourage people to get trained now—the classes are free—and be on stand-by. Then you can be contacted to come in (and help).”
Take all that advice to heart and use it for future reference. In the meantime, something has to be done with all the supplies stacked in the basement of a rental house on North Church Street. The Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Murfreesboro can’t take the medical supplies, confirmed a spokesman, because of obvious sterilization factors.
If you’ve got any idea what to do with all these supplies or want to give your time sorting through the dozens of boxes, contact The Pulse, and we’ll get the ball moving. We all want to see these donations provide relief, even if it isn’t to the Haitians for whom they were originally intended.
