Shelter Box started fifteen years ago as a Rotary Club project in England.  Since then it has grown to an independent international organization with 19 affiliates.  It has responded to over 270 natural disasters and humanitarian crises in more than 95 geographic locations and provided emergency aid to over one million people. Today  Shelter Box is an official partner of Rotary International.

 

Ross Spencer, a volunteer Shelter Box ambassador, explained that the standard Shelter Box weighs 130 lbs, and contains a tent that will house 6-8 people, a water filter that will purify 2500 gallons of water, tools, blankets, mosquito netting, pots, pans, a stove, a chimney, a light, and even drawing books and crayons for children.  Boxes can be delivered as quickly as 3-5 days after a disaster strikes by Shelterbox's response team members, who are on the ground working to help to select the recipients and ensure that aid goes to those who need it most.

 

In addition to complete boxes, Shelter Box also provides smaller more limited kits, where that is appropriate.   Generally Shelter Box generally does not work in the US because we have a good disaster relief program, however it has provided blankets to victims of Hurricane Sandy and cell phones to residents of Texas.  

 

For more information about Shelterbox, visit http://shelterboxusa.org