 Bill Tobin, a member of the El Dorado Hills Rotary, became involved with ShelterBox in 2010 after the devastating earthquake in Haiti. After that earthquake, ShelterBox provided shelter to more than 50,000 Haitian families, more than 300,000 people. He came to admire the organization so much that, in the last few years, he gave up his job as a nuclear plant inspection engineer to work for ShelterBox Trust, a non-profit headquartered in the UK, full time, mainly out of his home. One of Bill's main functions is to serve as an interface between Rotary Clubs and Shelterbox.org. Bill told us that ShelterBox has the objective of Fostering Peace: One Family at a Time. Their website says that the organization's vision is to help create "A world where no family is without shelter after a disaster." About one third of their deployments are in areas of conflict. Syria is where much of their aid is going now, but also to conflicts in Northern Iraq and Chad. The contents of a ShelterBox vary from deployment to deployment, but it often includes: a tent or tarps for the actual shelter; a filter for clean water; cooking utensils; tools; a rope. Often the recipients of a shelterbox are innovative in how they use what is in the box. For example, part of the rope has been used to supply tough strands of fibers to be pulled apart and then woven into a fishing net. ShelterBox has been recognized as a good steward of donated money by Charity Navigator and Guidestar Platinum. It has also been recognized by receiving nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. If you want to donate, it is easier to do it directly. You can find out more at ShelterBox.org. |
