Local Groups Like AFYA Foundation In Yonkers Stepping Up to Help People Of Haiti
YONKERS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - New Yorkers are stepping up to help the people of Haiti.
One Hudson Valley group is ending much-needed medical supplies to the devastated country.
As CBS2's Nick Caloway reports, at a Yonkers warehouse, volunteers are hard at work sorting and counting items like syringes, gauze bandages, and other surgical supplies, along with PPE.
"There are no supplies. And there's no structure. So the simplest items are going to make a difference. You can't dress a wound and save someone if you don't have a way to clean the wound," said Danielle Butin, CEO of the AFYA Foundation.
The Yonkers-based not-for-profit collects medical supplies from hospitals and clinics in the New York area, and distributes them worldwide. The group helped Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 quake, and are once again answering the call.
"And we have friends, and we have colleagues there. And we started getting the plea for help last weekend," Butin said. "It was terrifying to listen to people screaming and begging for help, who we know."
The most recent quake over the weekend killed nearly 2,000 people, and injured thousands more. Some hospitals were destroyed or badly damaged, so medical supplies are critical.
Back in Yonkers, volunteers said they couldn't just sit back and watch what was happening to the people of Haiti.
"I am a person who likes to help. And they need, so I am here to help," said volunteer Moonia Awad.
"You always will see these things happen and you feel kind of helpless. And it's nice to know that you can actually do something," said volunteer Amar Naboulsi.
The result of all that sorting and packing looks like box, after box, after box, full of supplies, all of it ready to be shipped off to Haiti.
The global Jewish humanitarian group JDC is helping to fund the operation, and JetBlue offered cargo space to get the supplies to Haiti.
Some of the donated items are already on the ground there. Volunteers in New York are making sure more are on the way.
If you want to support the AFYA Foundation in helping the people of Haiti, CLICK HERE. For more ways to help, CLICK HERE.