More than 500 pounds of medical supplies was loaded onto a Beachcraft Monday morning. It's the fires of several flights that will leave from the Smithfield airport.
The owners of the plane, who also are co-piloting the flight, are from Pennsylvania. They donated their single-engine plane and time to deliver supplies where they are most needed in Haiti.
The donations, which were collected by churches, doctors and purchased from money donated by the public, held the Clayton Rotary Club buy items.
"There's enough drugs on here to treat about 500 to a thousand people is my guess," said Jim Lee, Clayton Rotary Club. "At least our overall supply will treat that many."
And the mission is not a one-way trip.
"We'll use the back haul, coming back out to bring people out," pilot Jack Faires told ABC11 Eyewitness News. "From what I understand, there are still Americans trying to get back out. Most have migrated to the countryside."
The aircraft can hold just over 1200 pounds. Although the planes are limited by weight, they are driven by the despair seen on the faces of the Haitian people.
Faces missionary Valerie Carpenter saw firsthand. Now, she's back from Haiti helping to keep donations coming in, knowing how desperate the need is.
"We just want to go back," Carpenter said.
She said she will go back and help but will find some comfort in knowing help is on the way. Two more flights are expected to leave Johnston County Monday. They will go to Florida, then to the Bahamas where Habitat Bahamas is working with US Aid to organize the flights arriving in Haiti.
The groups are working together to get flights to smaller airports where no relief has arrived. They also want to make sure the flights don't get in the way of the larger military operations.
Donating to the Rotary
The following items are needed:
· over the counter pain relievers
· medicated skin lotions
· bandages, sterile gauze and pads
· wound care items/medical supplies
· water purification tablets or devices (available from camping stores like REI)
· non bulky feminine supplies (ultra thin pads)
· light, non bulky blankets (fleece material cut into 6? lengths is a good option)
Donations will be accepted at the Handmade for Haiti retail location in Cary at 1883 Lake Pine Drive (Hwy. 64 & Lake Pine Dr. next to Courtney’s Restaurant). 12pm – 2pm on:
· Saturday, Jan. 16th
· Monday, Jan. 18th
· Tuesday, Jan. 19th
· Friday, Jan. 22nd
· Saturday, Jan 23rd
Outside retail hours, donations may be placed in the orange plastic bin at 302 Bordeaux Lane in the MacGregor West subdivision. Rotary District 7710 has 43 Rotary clubs across 10 counties in NC. The counties are Wake, Orange, Durham, Person, Warren, Vance, Granville, Franklin, Harnett and Johnston.
For more information contact Rotary District 7710 Disaster Relief Chairman PDG Don Buckner at (336)597-4000 or (336)504-1616. He can also be reached by e-mail at donb@roxboro.net
Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide in humanitarian service. It has more than 1.2 million members in more than 33,000 clubs in over 200 countries and geographic regions.To learn more about the organization visit www.rotary.org .
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