Mount Kisco Rotary Club Promotes ShelterBoxes for Haitian Relief

The Mount Kisco Rotary Club presented a survival kit called ShelterBox at Monday's Mount Kisco Village Board of Trustees meeting to assist people in Haiti.

Erik Kaeyer, president of the Rotary Club and a vice president at KG&D Architects in Mount Kisco, unveiled an elaborate survival kits filled with numerous tools.

"Haiti is in terrible straights right now, and we obviously are all looking to pitch in any way we can," said Kaeyer.

Included in the two foot by three foot box is a tent that is big enough to house 10 people, a water purification system, cooking supplies, utensils, sleeping bags and even coloring books for children. Mosquito netting and ponchos are also included. They are designed to last a minimum of six months, but Kaeyer said that they have been used longer.

So far about 3,300 ShelterBoxes have been sent to Haiti through Port-au-Prince, said Kaeyer. He said that they can house up to 33,000 people, and while that's a small amount, "it's significant in itself."

According to the company that makes them, ShelterBox, a three-person response team is already in place with local Rotarians in Port-au-Prince.

Kaeyer also said that the club has been working with ShelterBox since last fall -prior to the earthquake - to raise money. To date approximately $80,000 has been raised, with a goal of $100,000. The boxes each cost $1,000.

The boxes have tracking numbers on them, and if you donate $1,000, you can follow the ShelterBox's progress on the Internet, which Kaeyar said is "a wonderful community project," and said that schools can do it.

For more information on ShelterBox, head over to its Web site.