Shipment of Clothing and Linens from Charlotte Reaches Haiti
February 25, 2010
by Jain Doremus

Editor’s note: Jain Doremus has good friends, Marta and Ric, in Florida who have a business with manufacturing plants in Haiti and the Dominican Republic (DR). Their son Mark is the plant manager in DR. As part of their business, they routinely send a large container of raw materials every two weeks to DR. With the earthquake disaster, they began filling these containers with donations of every useful item they can acquire.  Mark trucks these items to their undamaged plant in Port-au-Prince quickly, where they are distributed directly to the affected population. Jain and Robin Coleburn asked every person they know to consider helping by donating a pair of jeans, old or new, either for children or adults, or a set of sheets that might be sitting unused in the linen closet. They packed and sent the goods to Florida to be included in the next container.

A huge thanks to all who participated in our clothing and linens drive to help with Haiti relief. As this project progressed, we realized how willing and generous our friends and neighbors really are when it comes to helping others in great need.  In two short weeks we were able to collect and pack 2,700 items. We were impressed with the great condition of all donated items and the speed with which they arrived.  
We would like to thank Ernie Pomerleau for donating the use of manpower and trucks to help us get the 40 boxes to Chase Moving & Storage; and we would like to thank Chase Moving & Storage for putting the boxes on pallets, shrink-wrapping them and agreeing to be the collection site for the freight company that ultimately picked them up.
A container was loaded aboard a ship on February 8, and within ten days of setting sail the goods arrived in the Dominican Republic. From there, Mark is trucking the goods to Haiti and distributing them to Ric and Marta’s employees!  A few facts about their business:
 It is a small family-owned corporation with two manufacturing facilities, one each in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Their factory in Haiti where they manufacture fishing tackle, was established in 1986. The building is approximately 26,000 sq. ft. and remained standing during the earthquake due to having steel girders and a metal roof, as opposed to the concrete roofs that most of the collapsed buildings had. It suffered some structural damage that is presently being repaired.  Ric’s son Mark oversees the manufacturing aspect of the companies as well as the relief efforts that have ensued. They have 250 employees in each location; most in Haiti have been with them since the beginning. Their intense loyalty to the company has served to protect the facility from looting and vandalism during political coups and uprisings, thus earning Ric, Marta and Mark’s loyalty during times of floods, hurricanes and now a 7.0 earthquake. The containers that are shipped every two weeks for their business have created a direct pathway for relief efforts; 30-40% of  available space is allocated to transporting such needed items as beans, rice, clothing, linens, cooking utensils, shoes, waterproof tarps, toiletries, etc.
All of their employees are safe and accounted for because they were at work when the earthquake struck. The factory is back in full production with all the employees reporting to work and able to continue earning a living. Unfortunately, they have suffered the loss of many loved ones and most of their homes. Lionel, the Haitian plant manager, is presently housing 30-40 friends and relatives in his small home. Ric and Marta are searching for large military-style tents to set up on his property to ease the situation. They are committed to helping these people recover. 
We are most grateful for your part in helping us help them!  We hope you will stay tuned in and consider making monetary donations to some of the reputable organizations that are committed to helping Haiti recover and grow stronger than before.