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Organization continues to help out Haiti

People in southern New Hampshire put forth their efforts through the Hollis Helps Haiti organization, which sent supplies to people in Haiti seeking assistance after the devastating earthquakes earlier this year.

The organization sent 90 55-gallon drums of donated Coca-Cola, four 250-gallon water storage vessels, about 450 contractor bags and 50 boxes with necessary items donated by local residents.

These donations, along with other items, filled 5,000 cubic feet.

Tanya Tenkarian, founder of Hollis Helps Haiti, has seen an “outpouring of support” from local towns looking to do their part to help Haitians in dire need.

“People have been really forthcoming,” Tenkarian said. “It is quite a lovely thing to think that this has become a whole community effort.”

The effort brought many volunteers to help sort through donations and pack a 53-foot container truck donated by Estes Forwarding Worldwide with the life-saving supplies.

The truck was packed at the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Merrimack and driven to Miami for free on Wednesday. The supplies will be shipped by boat to Haiti and should arrive about a month and a half from the departure of the truck from New Hampshire.

Donations included rice, baby formula, medical supplies, lightweight clothing, tents and bedding for struggling Haitians.

Tenkarian said local residents have stepped up in their effort to do their part. She mentioned a 9-year-old girl in Bedford who canvassed her neighborhood and gathered the equivalent of two minivans full of supplies.

Jean Jeudy, a member of the state House of Representatives who represents the Hillsborough 10 District, was born in Haiti, and showed his support by visiting the volunteers with his wife and providing them with a home-cooked Haitian meal.

The earthquake also hit a personal note for Tenkarian, who has a best friend with a Haitian husband with extended family living in the terribly impoverished conditions.

The recent death of her father-in-law, who she described as “selfless beyond compare,” also inspired her to do all she could for those in need.

She began sending e-mails a week after the earthquake in January, looking for anybody to contribute.

What she found was an outpouring of support from not only individuals, but from businesses and organizations, as well.

Groups such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts volunteered for the cause.

“People came from all over driven to help for similar reasons: They wanted to honor friends, they wanted to be part of something bigger than themselves, they wanted to give and found a good outlet in this project,” Tenkarian said.

Local businesses such as Farm Design in Hollis and The Cozy Tea Cart in Brookline served as drop-off points and storage for donations.

Businesses in Bedford, Merrimack, Milford, Nashua, and other surrounding towns also offered assistance through donations and storage. Many local schools participated in providing donations and assistance to the cause.

Tenkarian worked in cooperation with the Haitian Community Center of New Hampshire in Manchester to bring in as much local support as possible.

“The people’s response is so good, it is overwhelming,” Haitian Community Center President Samson Duclair said. “They have been more generous.”

One of his main concerns is the dangerous rainy season in Haiti that threatens those without shelter.

He’s focusing on getting tents to Haitians with the other supplies in order to save lives in the devastated country.

Shelter, along with food, water, clothing and hygienic supplies, are in constant demand for the citizens of Haiti.

“The Haitian Community Center is always there,” Duclair said. “We are having volunteers every weekend to help, and as long as the people here are helping us, we are going to keep doing it.”

To becoming involved in further efforts to help Haiti, contact Duclair at 234-9542 or sduclair@hccofnh.com.