Blue Ash-based Matthew 25 Ministries is offering disaster recovery help in Haiti after a massive earthquake over the weekend. Nearly 1,300 people are confirmed dead as of Sunday night, and more than 5,700 injured.
CEO Tim Metty says Matthew 25 Ministries established a long-term base in Haiti after the devastating earthquake of 2010, including a Haitian-run health center near Port-au-Prince.
"This allowed us to actually have products in Haiti when the earthquake struck," Metty said. "And then our medical team obviously is there, doctors and nurses are there. This allowed us to put together our plan to respond and start helping."
Metty says the organization is quickly getting more supplies to the area, including bottled water, personal care items, and household and cleaning products.
Metty says the earthquake is a huge setback; Haiti never fully recovered from the earthquake 11 years ago, or from Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
"It may fall out of the news, but the need there will be for years," he said. "It's so horrific. Unfortunately, the images and stuff just don't really do it justice."
The last year and a half has been busy for Matthew 25.
"We've done flooding, we've done wildfires, we've done tornadoes," Mettys aid.
The organization is accepting donations of several items to help with the response in Haiti, as well as restock supplies for other disaster relief:
- Cases of bottled water (12- and 24-count)
- Personal care products: Antibacterial soap, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, body wash, deodorant, lotion etc.
- Cleaning supplies: Laundry detergents, general cleaner, sponges, bleach (powdered form is preferred), mops, scrub brushes, buckets, rubber gloves etc.
- Paper products: Toilet paper, paper towels etc.
- Baby and infant supplies: Diapers, wipes, diaper rash ointment, baby wash, baby shampoo, baby lotion etc.
- First-aid items: Bandages, gauze, pads, first aid tape, antiseptic creams, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, latex gloves, instant cold packs etc.
More information is online at m25m.org/haitiquake21.
