In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Nepal Daybreak Rotary is launching a shelter box campaign to provide housing.
By Tuesday the number of deaths reported were at 5,000 and amount of people left homeless at more than one million.
“We want to purchase a number of the shelter boxes,” Daybreak Rotarian Ron Malmas said Tuesday.
“In 2010 the community of Williams Lake rallied and we were able to purchase 21 family units to send to Haiti.”
One box costs $1,300 and provides a family with a large tent, blankets, pillows, a cooking stove, utensils, a water purification system and a package for children that includes crayons, colouring books and photographs.
“As heartbreaking as it is, the shelter boxes are probably the greatest gift some people will ever receive,” Malmas said, noting five years later some people in Haiti are still living in theirs.
People wanting to donate can do so online at www.shelterboxcanada.org, where they will find the Daybreak Rotary campaign. The Williams Lake Tribune is also collecting donations, Malmas added.
“Every dollar donated goes to the program, there are no administration costs or anything like that, and the great thing is the Canadian government announced last night that they will match every dollar that’s donated.”