The Haiti Earthquake, what should we do? The answer is simple, but the how is a little more complex.

Anyone who has followed the news or the history of Haiti knows that the Haitian government has been and still is corrupt. Billions of dollars has been given to Haiti over the past two decades with the US government giving over a billion in the past 15 years.

Many have said that since the money has not improved the Haitian economy that we should stop. The problem with that philosophy is without our help, millions will die.

I have gone to Haiti twice over past few years and I have said that everyone should go at least once. Only your own eyes can prepare you for the experience. We have people here in the US calling 911 because they didn’t get what they ordered at a fast food restaurant.

As a nation, we throw away millions of tons of food each year. In fact, we discard one fourth of the food we buy. Needless to say, this would feed thousands of people each day.

Here in our community, we are blessed to have many fine people who have made the sacrifice to go to Haiti and donate their time and talents to try and make a difference.

In addition to the many donations that are being given by our local churches, there are also efforts going on regularly by our locals like Phillip Marcum and Wendell Roberts who build shipping crates for the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission in Saint-Louis-du-Nord.

There are also crates being built this week at the Russell County High School. Once completed, the shipping crates are loaded up and sent to the mission’s warehouse in Frankfort. There, supplies purchased and donated to the mission are packed into these large crates, trucked to Miami and shipped by sea to Northwest Haiti.

The Northwest Haiti Christian Mission has been serving the northwest region of Haiti for over thirty years. Their efforts and accomplishments have saved thousands of lives and have made the harsh living conditions for the Haitian people just a little bit better.

May God bless the many that have given over the years and recently for the earthquake relief effort, but if you haven’t been able to give, or have been uncertain as to who to give to, now is a chance to help and to feel certain that all of you donation will go to Haitian relief effort.

Because of the recent earthquake, the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission felt obligated to give all of the medical supplies to the relief effort in Port-au-Prince.

Now emergency request are being solicited to help replenish these much needed supplies at the mission.

If you want to help, you can make a donation to the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission, P.O. Box 829, Versailles, KY 40383 or you can drop off donations for the Mission at Lake Cumberland Real Estate on Hwy 127 in Jamestown or Premier Drug Testing on Lakeway Drive in Russell Springs.

If you would like to learn more about the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission, go to www.nwhcm.org. If you want to donate any plywood or 2x4’s for building shipping crates, please contact Wendell Roberts at (270) 566-0954.

May God bless…

Ron Phillips