Matthew 25 Ships Aid and Sends Team into Earthquake Ravaged Areas

AUGUST 20, 2021  Cincinnati, OH – Matthew 25: Ministries, a humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization headquartered in Cincinnati, OH is actively responding to the massive earthquake that struck southwest Haiti on Saturday, August 14. Matthew 25 has Haitian staff and long-term partners on the ground, who are already working to provide immediate, direct relief to the impacted areas.

Matthew 25’s team of Haitian staff members departed for the impacted areas this morning with vehicles loaded with essential supplies like food, water, personal care items and tarps as well as supplies for mobile medical clinics staffed by the team’s health professionals. The team will be providing supplies and services in the Les Cayes, Camp Perrin and Les Anglais areas. Many hospitals have been severely damaged or completely destroyed, and the operational hospitals are overwhelmed. Matthew 25’s medical team will be setting up mobile clinics, helping to meet Haiti’s immediate healthcare needs and alleviate the strain on local resources. The team will also be meeting with partners in the area to assess most urgent needs and plan their ongoing response.

Additionally, Matthew 25: Ministries is shipping two containers of supplies to partners in Haiti today, carrying supplies like personal care items, cleaning products, blankets, work gloves, face masks, and more. These products will support on-the-ground partners’ relief efforts, providing desperately needed aid to those affected by this disaster. More containers are scheduled to ship in the coming weeks.

As of now, officials are reporting over 2,000 deaths, more than 12,000 people injured, and approximately 130,000 homes damaged or destroyed, plus hospitals, schools, bridges, and other public infrastructure as a result of the earthquake. Numbers are expected to continue to rise over the coming days as recovery efforts continue. Tropical Depression Grace also moved through Haiti on Monday and into Tuesday, causing heavy rain, flooding, and mudslides in areas that were already impacted by Saturday’s earthquake. Matthew 25 has developed a multi-faceted strategy for this disaster, which includes the team’s product distributions and medical clinics, as well as shipping containers of aid:

• Matthew 25 already had disaster supplies prepositioned with partners in the area, facilitating rapid initial response.
• Matthew 25’s team of Haitian staff members is purchasing supplies in-country, including food, water, personal care items, tarps, and other relief items for distribution in the impacted areas.
• Matthew 25’s team of doctors and nurses from their Haitian medical clinic is providing healthcare support to people who were affected by Saturday’s earthquake.
• Matthew 25 is also working with U.S. based and on-the-ground partners to ship additional containers of aid to those impacted.

Matthew 25 is requesting donations of the following types of items to supplement existing supplies, for restocking during their response to the Haiti Earthquake, and for future distributions:

• Monetary donations: Donate online or mail checks to Matthew 25: Ministries, 11060 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, OH 45242 (100% of donated funds designated for Haiti Earthquake Relief will be used for the purpose intended)
• 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.

Matthew 25 has responded to multiple disasters in 2021 including the winter storm in Texas, severe flooding in Kentucky, California wildfires, tornadoes across the South, the COVID surge in India and the St. Vincent volcano eruption. In addition to their disaster response work, Matthew 25 continues to provide COVID-19 relief throughout the U.S. as well as maintaining their ongoing work with the poorest of the poor worldwide. So far in 2021, Matthew 25: Ministries has distributed 10 million pounds of aid domestically and internationally.

For the most current information on Matthew 25: Ministries’ activities please visit their website or follow Matthew 25 on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For more in-depth information about Matthew 25: Ministries’ humanitarian aid and disaster relief efforts or to schedule an interview, please contact Joodi Archer joodi@m25m.org.

Matthew 25: Ministries accepts cash, credit card and online donations for ongoing humanitarian aid and disaster relief programs. Donors who would like to designate their financial gifts for the Haiti Earthquake may do so by writing “Haiti Earthquake” in the memo line of their check or by typing it in the “special purpose” field of the online giving form. Please mail checks to Matthew 25: Ministries, 11060 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, OH 45242. 100% of donated funds designated for the Haiti Earthquake will be used for the purpose intended. Matthew 25 also welcomes volunteers six days a week at their Blue Ash facility.

ABOUT MATTHEW 25: MINISTRIES: Matthew 25: Ministries rescues and reuses approximately 15,000,000 pounds of products each year and redistributes them to the poorest of the poor and disaster victims. Each year, Matthew 25: Ministries impacts the lives of more than 20,000,000 individuals throughout the United States and around the world.  Matthew 25 is ranked on Forbes’ list of America’s Top Charities. Matthew 25 is also highly ranked among approximately 3,500 four-star charities on Charity Navigator. Matthew 25: Ministries is accredited by the Better Business Bureau through the “Wise Giving Alliance Standards.” For more information, or to schedule an interview, contact Joodi Archer at Matthew 25: Ministries (513) 793-6256, joodi@m25m.org, or visit www.m25m.org.