St. Clare's Church - (FEEDING SITE - HOT MEALS)

Tuesday, January 19th

Dear Friends,

Today I could not reach Lavarice, our program liaison in Port-au-Prince. It is so difficult to get through to Haiti by phone. I was able to find out from Haitian friends who live in the U.S. and were able to get through to members of the St. Clare's community, that the cooks are planning to resume the food program tomorrow. They are preparing to serve as many people as possible, far more than the 1500 children and adults they served last Tuesday just before the earthquake struck. Using supplies that have been trucked in from the Dominican Republic, plate after plate of rice and beans will be passed out. The plates will be washed and filled again. I imagine there will be an endless flow of people all day.

I learned that Manmi Det and Nennenn, the original food program cooks, are taking care of about 60 people, mostly elderly, in the yard outside their home. They're sharing food salvaged from their homes and rationing water from a water tank. Everyone in the neighborhood continues to live outside. For those of you who have read my book, On That Day, Everybody Ate, you'll remember Manmi Det and Nennenn as the women I lived with, who welcomed me into their home as a daughter, and who taught me so much about faith, generosity, and serving from the heart. I know they are providing comfort and support to all the people living with them and am sure that Manmi Det is leading everyone in song and prayer.

When I read the media reports emphasizing lawlessness, riots, looting, and other scenes that depict Haitians as violent, it infuriates me. I know this is grossly exaggerated. There has been no violence in the Tiplas Kazo neighborhood, the home of the St. Clare's community. In addition, reports I see every day via email from people on the ground working with other nonprofits continually emphasize the cooperation, patience, and community spirit among the Haitian people.

"...things are totally peaceful...just people helping each other. drove past the main central park in Port-au-Prince where at least 50K people must be sleeping and it was almost silent. people cooking, talking, some singing and crying. people are kind, calm, generous to us and others. even with hundreds lying on the ground, open fractures, massive injuries of all kinds..."

With the epic scale of this tragedy, and the fact that most people have still not received any food or water from the Port-au-Prince airport relief effort, this description exemplifies the extraordinary strength, dignity, and heart of the Haitian people.

I look forward to keeping you posted on our relief efforts in the days to come. Thank you for all of your support over the last week and for making it possible to get the food program at St. Clare's back up and running.

With love and hope,

Margaret

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1-18

Dear Friends,

I was able to reach Lavarice, our program liaison, early this morning when he was in the Dominican Republic filling another truck with supplies for the St. Clare's community. Here's what he told me:

"There is no Port-au-Prince anymore. No one can be there without crying. Everyone is suffering. So many hurt. So many dead. So many without food and water. No aid from the Port-au-Prince airport has reached the neighborhoods I've visited. There's nothing. Everyone is waiting. We are the first group to be able to provide any relief to the St. Clare's area. The need is so great.

It's very complicated to distribute aid because there are thousands and thousands of people without food and water in the community. We started yesterday. You have to be careful and pass out the food and water safely and compassionately, involving members of the community in the distribution process. This is how it can work smoothly and help the most people. We haven't had any violence.

Throughout the area, there are pockets of 200 - 300 people living together in the street. I'm working to figure out how to distribute food and supplies to each of these mini communities. There are babies - 5 months, 2 months, 2 weeks old... We've bought supplies for babies and their mothers and are distributing those too.

Today, the cooking team is preparing to start the food program again. I hope the meals can begin this afternoon or tomorrow. The cooks have rice, water, beans, and oil and will cook as many meals as possible. We're expanding beyond what we've done in the past, but we're ready and will help as many people as God gives us the opportunity to help.

Please thank everyone who is supporting the What If? Foundation. Without them we would not be able to respond in this way. And there is so much that still needs to be done - now, and in the weeks, months and years to come."

I was not able to reach Lavarice later in the day, but hope to connect with him tomorrow so I can give you another update. I know that he and the other program leaders at St. Clare's are working tirelessly to provide an oasis in the midst of overwhelming devastation.

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1-17

Dear Friends,

I'm so excited to tell you that Lavarice, our program liaison, arrived in Port-au-Prince with three truckloads of supplies this afternoon! We spoke for only a few seconds, but long enough for him to tell me that the trucks were pulling into the St. Clare's rectory yard and that distribution of food and water was about to begin!

Lavarice had a chance to look at the food program kitchen building and says it looks undamaged. He's planning to drive back to the Dominican Republic to get more supplies since he can't get anything in Port-au-Prince right now. (Relief from the Port-au-Prince airport has not reached this area and there's no system set up to direct aid to any particular spot.) With another load of supplies, the program leaders hope to have the food program back up and running again this week.

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1-16

Dear Friends,

Today we have had no contact with members of the St. Clare's community. But we did speak with Lavarice, our program liaison, after he landed safely in the Dominican Republic. He told us that he spent the day with members of the Zakat Foundation filling three large trucks with water, food, and other supplies. The Zakat Foundation is a nonprofit organization that gave a grant to the food program last year. They will leave for St. Clare's early tomorrow morning and hope to arrive by noon to distribute this desperately needed relief.

We are so thankful to the Zakat Foundation because without their connections in the Dominican Republic, it would have been extremely difficult to find trucks and assemble aid so quickly. (We have seen reports that show that getting aid out of the Dominican Republic has been a challenge for many relief agencies.)

Sister Mary, a friend of the foundation who lives within two miles of the Port-au-Prince airport, emailed today that although they can see all the planes landing, no aid has arrived to ease the suffering of the thousands of people in her neighborhood. Since the St. Clare's neighborhood is two miles further down the road, we doubt that any food or water has reached the community today either. So tomorrow can't come soon enough as we anxiously await word from Lavarice that he has arrived with the trucks.

Thank you so much for your compassion and for your donations to our Emergency Relief Fund. The community has told us that they are given strength by knowing that you are standing in solidarity with them.

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1-16

Dear Friends,

Today we were able to confirm through phone and email that our partners in the St. Clare's community of Port-au-Prince -- the food and education team, including the cooks, all survived the earthquake and are uninjured. We're so happy, relieved and grateful! Jean-Claudel, one of the education coordinators, emailed: "I am alive. We are alive. But we are hungry. We need your help. We wait with patience."

Thankfully there have been few injuries due to the earthquake because the majority of homes in the Tiplas Kazo neighborhood did not collapse. The St. Clare's rectory (where the food program has taken place) is standing as is St. Clare's Church, although no one feels the homes or buildings are safe to enter.

We are growing more concerned by the hour knowing that the majority of people in the neighborhood have been without food and water since the earthquake hit. They are also living outside their homes in the streets. Wadner Pierre, a friend of the foundation who spoke with members of the community this afternoon told me that people are weak and getting sick and need water desperately. He said everyone is sharing what they have, but they have run out of supplies and since everything in Port-au-Prince has shut down, there is no where to go to get food or water. "They are strong. They know how to share. They are praying. They are going to stick together. But they need help quick."

We've seen on the news that relief supplies have arrived at the Port-au-Prince airport, but most of them have not been distributed yet. I am praying this happens tomorrow. Lavarice, our program liaison, is on a plane as I type this for the Dominican Republic. His plan is to drive to Haiti to deliver food and water and help get the food program running again as soon as possible. We have heard that there may be delays at the border. The logistical side of getting aid into Haiti has been extremely complicated and frustrating.

But we remain hopeful. With innovation, courage, and your donations, the St. Clare's community has faith that they will recover and begin the rebuilding process. We will continue to keep you posted through our Facebook Page, Blog, and with these e-newsletters.

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