New #4: Help Haiti

OK, so this one may seem a little specific, like of course I've never volunteered to help Haiti before. But it really was unlike anything I've been involved in - and something I definitely hope to do again. As everyone in the world knows by now, Haiti was recently ravaged by an earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands and left even more homeless and without supplies. I really wanted to donate some money to help. But being as broke as I am, I decided to donate some volunteer hours instead.

I got hooked up with HELP International, a local nonprofit that specializes in volunteering abroad. I've always wanted to help out at a place like this, and I guess the Haiti disaster was just the push I needed to get there. I made an appointment to volunteer a few days in advance. I wanted to save a spot for myself, because I thought for sure lots of people would be lining up to get their hands dirty for the cause. But sadly, when Ben and I arrived, there were only about four other volunteers. Too bad, because there was so much to do.

HELP International operates out of a giant warehouse, with piles upon piles of everything from wheelchairs to high chairs that have been donated. These supplies are shipped to people in need around the world. Recently, the organization began collecting supplies for Haiti. Compared to the rest of the donations, not that much had been given for the earthquake victims. This also caught me by surprise. Aren't people always looking for a good cause to give their unwanted clothes to? Either way, there were still piles that needed to be organized, and we were ready to start chipping away.

Ben and I were put to work sorting infants' clothing, separating summer items (for Haiti) and winter clothes, which would be sent to Israel (where people apparently make pilgrimages without packing first and end up freezing. Who knew?). As we worked, each tiny shirt, hat and pair of socks had to be folded and put in a cardboard box. After each box was packed, taped and labeled, it was stacked on a palette, which will soon be loaded into a giant crate and shipped overseas.

Preparing the clothing wasn't too exciting, but I really didn't mind doing it. Actually, I found a lot of entertainment and gratification in the task by imagining the little child who would soon be wearing that tiny shirt or dress I'd just folded. It was really cool to know that in a few weeks some family who didn't have enough clothes since the quake would open that box and find what they needed to dress their baby ... in a small way thanks to me. It sounds cheesy, but to actually have my hands on something so tangible, that I knew would make a difference, felt really good.

We folded and sorted for two hours, which actually flew by pretty quickly. When it was time to go, the head volunteers couldn't stop telling us how thankful they were for our support. And all we did was fold some clothes. Still, our efforts may not have been much in the scheme of that warehouse, let alone the world, but it felt really good knowing we did a small part to get things moving in the right direction.