ASKS FOR FINANCIAL HELP TO SEND SUPPLIES
Posted By TYLER KULA, THE OBSERVER
Posted 9 hours ago
A Sarnia church is striving to give Cubans pounded by hurricanes some
respite from the damage.
Hurricanes Gustav and Ike slammed into Cuba about a month ago,
destroying 550,000 homes, 400 hospitals and 425 schools. Also lost were
hundreds of thousands of tons of stored food supplies and 80 per cent of
the domestic field crops.
St. Benedict church has ties with St. Fulgencio in the northeastern town
of Gibara, with a group of local parishioners providing aid for the past
several years.
"We take things down like medicine, medical supplies, baseball
equipment, shoes, clothing, baseball hats," said Lee Michaels, who's
been making trips to Cuba for 12 years.
What's needed for a trip later this month is money, she said.
The group already has 90 kilograms (200 pounds) of medical supplies
collected through Not Just Tourists and CANMAP. But the maximum extra
cargo airlines allow for humanitarian aid is 22 kilograms.
The difference is $5 to $10 per kilogram, depending on the airline.
So the church group is seeking community donations to help fund the
transfer of the supplies.
"Whatever I can get would be a blessing," Michaels said.
She has a godson, 11, and goddaughter, 3, in Cuba that she visits at
least twice per year.
Efforts to rebuild are already underway within the town, said Michaels.
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