Tons of goods donated by U.S. parishes prepared for shipping to Haiti

Published: 2004-04-27

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) -- Donations of medical equipment, construction materials, school furnishings and supplies, clothing and other items are pouring into a warehouse in LaVergne, just outside Nashville, for eventual shipping to the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. With the arrival of mail, freight and volunteers from around the country, the warehouse has been transformed into the shipping headquarters for the Parish Twinning Program of the Americas. As national coordinator of the organization's sea container shipping program, Pat Rehovsky has been supervising the arrival of donations from Catholic churches and other organizations. Each shipment is itemized and color-coded for its destination in Haiti. The donated items are packed in 40-foot sea containers, which are sent by freighter to a port -- typically either Savannah, Ga., or Jacksonville, Fla. When all the containers have arrived at the port, they are shipped to Haiti and will arrive after about five days at sea.

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