As some of you may know, last spring we sent out an appeal to the churches in the New Brunswick, NJ Presbytery for used clothes and shoes to be sent to Haiti.  We were packing up some drums with backpacks that had been donated by high school students in Wisconsin and wanted some clothes to pack along with the backpacks.  Well, the response was overwhelming and Kingston Presbyterian Church (my home church) was filled with so many wonderful items that we had to buy extra drums to accommodate them all.  They were shipped from NY to Port-au-Prince and were brought out to Jérémie during the summer.  We have been gradually sorting through them and giving some to needy patients and members of the communities around the clinic.  Many of these people still have Port-au-Prince earthquake survivors with them and their resources have been stretched to the limit.  So, this is a small way that we can help ease their burdens.

We recently decided to borrow an idea from churches and Emergency Departments in which I’ve previously worked and that is to create a CLOTHING BOX for the clinic.  It’s filled with clothing of all sizes, infant caps, afghans and quilts made by the Presbyterian Women in New Jersey, shoes, socks and underwear.  We’ll be using the items to give to those patients we feel are most in need, especially the newborn infants and malnourished children whose parents are the poorest of the poor.  Below is a photo of the box filled with wonderful treasures, as well as a photo of a premature newborn who we saw three days after her birth.  Her mother is 16 years old and we’ve been seeing the baby, mother and grandmother each week for several weeks, giving them infant caps, blankets and clothes for the little one.  Many, many thanks to those who contributed clothing and shoes in our efforts to relieve some of the physical needs of the Haitian people.

The Clothing Box

Tiny Recipient of NJ Gifts