As gently reminded and nudged on GetOutdoors’ GoBlog this morning — “Haiti Needs Tents! Someone Organize That Please… Ahem Gear Junkie” — Haiti’s homeless are in desperate need of shelter. What better group of people to help get the victims of last week’s earthquake some shelter than outdoorsy people (who may have an extra Kelty or Eureka tent gathering dust in their garage). GetOutdoors mentioned GearJunkie.com organizing a tent drive. But there are organizations who have beat us to it, including the American Alpine Club and gear shops like The Adventure’s Edge in Morgantown, W. Va.
As quoted in a New York Times article today, “Tents, tents, tents,” said Niurka Piñeiro, a spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration. “That’s the word we want to get out. We need tents.” In a field in the Croix des Bouquets neighborhood, a tent city for some 10,000 people is being cleared, according to the article. There is a need for thousands of tents for families in wait.
Readers, please look into donating your used tents or tarps to Haiti via the American Alpine Club or other places. Let us know here below if other gear/outdoor shops around the country are heading up efforts to help.
