Like most of us, I watched the devastation in Haiti and my heart ached for the people who lost loved ones, homes and any semblance of normalcy.

As aid began to pour in to this already poor country, I once again was grateful for my Kingston Rotary and my Rotary International membership.

The Kingston Rotary Club participates in a program called ShelterBox. By the time the airport in Port-au-Prince was opened, Rotarians had already activated ShelterBox teams and were working in conjunction with other Haitian Rotarians to bring immediate aid (and shelter) to people in need. By Friday, more than 930 ShelterBoxes had already been sent to Haiti.

What’s in a ShelterBox? At the heart of every ShelterBox is a 10-person tent. It is custom made to withstand extreme temperatures, high winds and heavy rainfall. Internally, each tent has privacy partitions that allow recipients to divide the space as they see fit. If you have watched people huddling under a tarp or any kind of shelter on the newscasts, you know how essential shelter is immediately following a disaster.

Thousands of children have lost their parents, their homes and are suffering emotionally and physically. That’s why every box contains a children’s pack containing drawing books, crayons and pens. For children who have lost most, if not all of their possessions, these small gifts are treasured.

Because water is contaminated following the earthquakes, a life-saving means of water purification is included. A basic tool kit containing a hammer, axe, saw, trenching shovel, hoe head, pliers and wire cutters is in every box. These items enable people to improve their immediate environment, by chopping firewood or digging a latrine, for example. Then, when it is possible, people can begin repairing or rebuilding the home they were forced to leave.

These ShelterBoxes are pre-packed, ready to ship instantly to a disaster area anywhere in the world. Rotarians have also helped send ShelterBoxes to people who lost everything during tsunamis and other tragedies.

Who pays the approximately $1,000 cost of filling and shipping each ShelterBox? Rotarians and other service organizations around the world donate the money to pay for each of these boxes.

One of those ShelterBoxes is coming from the Kingston Rotary Club.