This is a grassroots effort to help the people of Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake of 12 January 2010.

The re-building of the affected areas will take years. The vast majority of the people have no shelter, no homes to go back to – men, women and children are all sleeping outside, exposed to the elements.

The initial goal of this group is to collect 1000 tents for the Haitian people.

Here is the general plan:

1) volunteers around the USA will collect tents (used and new)

2) once a large number has been collected, the tents will be sent to Florida – from there, they will be sent to Haiti.

We are working with several groups to get the tents delivered and distributed in Haiti.

Many people have asked whether it makes more sense to just donate money to existing NGOs doing work there.

Of course all the large corporations working there would love your money.

One Thousand Tents for Haiti is an initiative for those who want to help but don’t necessarily have money to donate, but may be able to give a used tent they have in their garage. Tents will meet short and medium term needs of the Haitian people.

It also aims to get people involved in an effort that is more tangible, and fosters community amongst the group. I know that it is not as easy as just clicking a button and donating money, but I am confident that if you participate, it will be more rewarding.

Pan Africa Market will be a drop of location for tents this weekend, please see the event page for more info.

Spots will fill up quickly, reservations highly recommended.

Pan Africa Restaurant will be hosting Haiti Earthquake Relief Fundraiser on Thursday January 21, 2010. Proceeds from the event will be donated to help the families and children devastated by the 7.3-magnitude earthquake last Tuesday afternoon. Help us help families in Haiti and let them know they are not alone in this emergency.