As disasters are occurring around the globe, ShelterBox is in full swing. Immediately after Hurricane Isaac passed over Haiti Rotarians deployed with 448 new ShelterBoxes to provide help for Haitians. On the other side of the globe boxes are being delivered from staging areas to flooded Phillipines only to be immediately struck by a 7.9 Richter-Scale earthquake.

At the same time, Rotarians with ShelterBox USA are waiting for flood waters from Hurricane Isaac to subside in Louisiana to determine if emergency housing is need there. Lebanon and Niger are getting assistance due to man made displacement and destruction (war torn areas).

Members of two Rotary Clubs, The Villages Breakfast and Lake County Golden Triangle, are spreading the message of hope and seeking funds for the effort in Florida after being spared a direct hit by Isaac. The areas have been devastated in the past and citizens are generous in their support.

ShelterBoxes include three-room ten-person tent, water purifier, cooking utensils, and eating equipment, a cook stove, play items for children, sleeping materials, and other equipment as needed depending upon the situation. The items are housed in a multi-use waterproof bright green box. When an individual or group funds a unit they can track its deployment with a serial number on the box.

Community members donated cash and went online to http://www.shelterboxusa.org to give with their credit cards.

Three other men from the Rotary Club of The Villages Breakfast joined ShelterBox USA Ambassador Ralph Cowell in setting up the display. They were joined by three women from the newly formed Rotary Club of Lake County Golden Triangle (merged RCs of Eustis, Mount Dora, and Tavares) at the Labor Day event held in Donnelly Park.

Coincidentally, two Rotarians from Miami visiting the area are the parents of Steven Tonkinson, a ShelterBox deployer. He has served in several long term deployments including Haiti and Peru. After working all day with tent residents, he and collegues would spend the night bottle feeding orphaned infants for an adjacent medical agency.