When a crisis hits, we tend to think big. But what if helping was as simple as finding relief inside a green box?
ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that provides temporary shelter and life-saving supplies to displaced families. These families could be displaced due to earthquake, volcano, flood, hurricane, cyclone, tsunami, or conflict. Shelterbox provides assistance in the form of a green box which contains, among other things: a disaster relief tent, water purification, warm blankets, and groundsheets, a cookstove and supplies, a toolset, and even a children’s play pack. Boxes are modified according to the need in the area.
Founded in 2000, Shelterbox has responded to just under 200 natural or man-made disasters in 75 countries, supplying aid to more than 600,000 people, and delivers emergency shelter, warmth and dignity to people made homeless worldwide.
Recently, Shelterbox has responded to the crisis in Syria, assisting displaced families in Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, and Lebanon, and within Syria itself. Shelterbox sent relief to Japan and Guatemala following those earthquakes this year. Closer to home, Shelterbox was on the ground in Haiti as well as New York and New Jersey following Hurricane Sandy.
How can you help? You can sponsor a whole ShelterBox for $1,000 – other donation amounts are also gratefully accepted. From the web site: “Donations for boxes are used to fund the purchase of box items, assembly, warehousing and subsequent delivery to disaster survivors. Those costs include transportation, handling, insurance, standard administrative cost, and ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) transportation to ensure boxes are delivered to the world’s most vulnerable people. A tax-deductible receipt and box number, trackable to its final destination, will be provided to donors contributing toward ShelterBoxes.”
You can make a cash donation online in any amount to the organization (note that Shelterbox is a four-star charity according to Charity Navigator). If you’d prefer to mail a check, you can do that, too.
Shelterbox also has a gift shop – you can support the shop by making a purchase or buy a symbolic gift (a cash donation).
A search at irs.gov (which I highly recommend any time you are considering making a donation to a charity) reveals that Shelterbox is on the IRS list of charitable organizations. To find out more about the work of the organization, check out their website, follow them on twitter or like them on Facebook.
