City of Surrey partners with PCC and Heart to Heart Haiti (Press Release--February 4, 2010)

[Pacific Community Hosted a News Conference where the City of Surrey announced a new initiative to support PCC and Heart to Heart Haiti.  13 Media stations were present (CBC TV, Global TV, City TV, Joy TV, Surrey Leader, Surrey NOW, CBC Radio, Cloverdale Reporter, Red FM, RJ1200, Radio India, Punjabi Tribune, Miracle Media. (Below is the city's report.)

City of Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts announced a new initiative today to assist two local organizations in sending aid to earthquake victims in Haiti, and rallied residents to continue helping the country.

The City of Surrey is partnering with the Surrey Fire Department, Pacific Community Church and Heart to Heart Haiti to collect food and supplies that will be sent to the community of Grand Goave, Haiti. "When disaster struck Haiti it resonated deeply within our community, and people  immediately came together to help," said Mayor Dianne Watts. "Today, we're encouraging people to continue donating.  We're happy to partner with Pacific Community Church and Heart to Heart, organizations who already have a presence in Haiti. Together, we will provide much needed assistance."

In order to facilitate the collection of goods, all Surrey fire halls will be accepting non‐perishable food items, and the City of Surrey will begin a staff food drive. All donations will be transferred to the
warehouse at the Pacific Community Church where they will be shipped to Haiti. "We've been helping the people of Grand Goave for years," said Pastor Jim Heuving of Pacific Community Church. "So, when disaster struck there, we wanted to help. The support from our members has been overwhelming, and we're happy to partner with the City of Surrey."

"We are well on our way to meeting our goal of distributing 600 tons of food in the Grand Goave area," said John Neufeld of Heart to Heart Haiti. "This is just the beginning of our earthquake response, and the massive rebuilding effort is still to come."

The Mayor also reached out to the Haitian government with an offer to send city planning and
engineering staff to assist in the rebuilding efforts. "That part of the relief effort is down the road, and when asked, we will help out in whatever way we can, but today we're focussing on the immediate need for food and supplies," says the Mayor. Organizers are hoping to send the first container of food to Haiti within the next ten days.

HAITI RESPONSE

Pacific Community has a relationship with the people of Haiti.  We have worked closely with an Abbottsford non-profit, Heart to Heart Haiti, who have spent many years establishing a school and orphanage in Grand Goave.  Two of our members now live in Haiti:  Rebecca Larkin (Grand Goave) and Joyce Trainer (Petionville).  Much of our church's past activity has occurred in Grand Goave which is close to the epicenter of the earthquake.  Our efforts are directed at helping Heart to Heart provide resources and supplies to respond to the needs in Grand Goave.  We have established an Haiti Response Team to coordinate our efforts and we have also established a Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund to receive and deploy funds to Heart to Heart and any organization who can help Grand Goave recover in the short, mid and long term.  There are also some very specific ways you can help the Haiti effort.  Explore the links below.

How you can help Haiti

Pacific is coordinating a way for family, friends and organizations to partner together in order to help a community in Haiti deal with the immediate and long term needs. Below are four ways to help.

 

CANADA'S MATCHING GRANT ENDS FEBRUARY 12

There are many worthy agencies to donate money to for the sake of the Haiti Relief Effort.  Our fund will direct funds directly to Heart to Heart Haiti a volunteer non-profit agency who have worked in Grand Goave specifically.  They are are able to address immediate needs in a town very near the epicenter of the major earthquake.  Learn more about the fund and how you can donate: Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund

 

Two ways to donate general supplies:

1.  5 Gallon Bucket Instructions:   Great idea for families, classrooms, groups and individuals.

2.  Bulk Supply Instructions: Some may be able to donate supplies in large quantities.

 

A Haitian staple is rice.  This is a way many can help.  Pack 2 kilograms of white rice and attach a tooney for shipping. 

Haiti Rice Instructions

Important Links

• Supply Instructions and Downloads
  
• Drop off Times and Directions to Pacific
  
• Heart 4 Haiti Blog--first hand reporting by Rebecca who lives in Grand Goave
  
• How you and your friends and family can Help--Send Food, Send Supplies, Send Money
  
• Haiti Response Team-- A team established to coordinate our Haiti Response
  
• Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund--A fund established to direct funds to organizations on the ground
  
• Rebecca Larkin Updates--A missionary in Grand Goave
  
• Heart to Heart Updates--An Abbottsford Christian non-profit involved in Grand Goave
  
• Joyce Trainer Updates--A worker in God's Littlest Angels orphanage

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