community
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
Jan. 27-Feb. 2, 2010 Page B-6
Home Depot helps Haiti
The Home Depot Foundation and The Home out to the Foundation asking for assistance
Depot and partners in Canada together have
in making product donations. While we are
made donations in the amount of $150,000 to
unable to coordinate most product donations,
the American Red Cross for its relief efforts in
followoing is a list of materials nonprofits have
Haiti. Through the partnership with Western
specifically requested to help with the clean-up
Union, their gift matching program doubled
this donation, giving an additional $100,000 to
efforts that will begin in the coming days and
the American Red Cross.
weeks.
In addition, the Foundation is matching gifts
As the Foundation is working with the non-
from The Home Depot associates up to $1,000
profits, it will try to put companies in touch
for disaster relief organizations that are assist- with a group that could use the products being
ing in this effort. As always, The Home Depot
offered for donation.
Foundation’s efforts could not be possible
without the generous support of its suppliers
If your company wants to donate product to
and partners.
a nonprofit working in Haiti, please respond to
Kendall_mccarthy@homedepot.com with your
How You Can Help
company name and product/service available;
Currently, most of the requests from non-
where these items are located; and what your
profit organizations working on the ground are
capacity for transporting them is, either to a
for search and rescue teams, telecommunica-
U.S. port or to other locations, such as the Do-
tions support, medical services, and heavy con-
struction equipment for rubble removal.
minican Republic.
While the Foundation has started making
As the situation evolves, we will continue
product donations to help with the immediate
making every effort to connect companies with
relief efforts – to date it has donated $30,000
nonprofit partners who are accepting product
worth of generators, extension cords, work donations.
lights and gas cans – we know that addition-
al product donations may be needed in the
Products Requested by Relief Agencies for
Haiti Efforts: 20 oz hammers; 16d nails (galva-
Rev. McGlothian celebrates 80 years
months and years to come, and it is in discus-
sions with numerous disaster relief agencies
nized); 8d nails (galvanized); 5 gallon buckets;
regarding additional product donations that
gloves, both latex and work gloves; post base
could possibly come from the company or it brackets (Simpson strong tie); hacksaws with
The Rev. Odell Mc Glothian recently celebrated his 80th birthday. Pictured front row (from left)
suppliers.
extra blades; 4 ft. crowbars; post hole digger;
are Odell Mc Glothian Jr., the Rev. Odell Mc Glothian Sr., wife Gloria Mc Glothian, Dolores and
shovels; tarps/plastic sheeting; rope; large
Della. Pictured in back row (from left) are Jon, Doris and Linda Swanson, executive vice presi-
We will remain in touch with the American
Red Cross and other relief agencies to assess
water bladders; jerry cans (water or fuel con-
dent of Swanson Funeral Homes Inc.
the situation and determine how else it might tainers); basic first aid kits.
be able to help, whether it is supplies, tools or
volunteers. As all have seen, the logistics of
At this time of great need, it is truly an honor
getting supplies to the impacted areas contin-
to work with such a great community of sup-
ue to be difficult, and most nonprofit organiza-
plier partners. Thank you.
tions are asking that only monetary donations
Craig Menear
be made at this time.
Chair
We know that many companies are respond-
ing very generously, and several of have reached The Home Depot Foundation — adv.
CHAT WITH CHAPS
By Chaplain PJ Banks-Anderson
assistance and, that Black men of power dare
not assist the Haitians without running the risk
Of all the emotional components in the grief
cycle, I continue to experience anger and de-
of negative criticism.And then there’s the great,
pression the most. By God’s grace, I am able
prophet from hell saying things like “Haiti’s
to minimize depressing. Angering, however, is persistent troubles, including the earthquake,
something for God, professionals, and me to are due to a pact the nation made with Mephis-
work on together.
topheles.” Never mind that Haiti is 90 percent
Honestly, I did not realize how much anger I
Catholic. The prophets-of-doom said the same
had pinned up from my experience in the Gulf
thing about New Orleans.
War, but also from some of my life experiences.
What does any of this have to do with the
It is not only an issue of DWB (driving while
grief cycle? I suspect that the Haitians are all
Black) for men, it is also an issue of being
Black.
over the grief cycle especially experiencing
shock, anger, and depression – back and forth
Look at how the political and religious con-
and simultaneously.
structs are responding (or not responding) to
Haiti. According to the news, 7,000,000 of the Please financially and materially support
9,000,000 people affected by the earthquake
your faith-based organizations’ efforts to assist
live off of $2 a day. Can you imagine living at
Ifill speaks at U of M in honor of Dr. King
the Haitians. And if you can give a helping
that level of poverty? Americans on the hill just
voted themselves a $4,000 raise. Americans on
hand, literally, please do so as a mission from
Wall Street receive seven figure bonuses.
your faith-based organization.
Journalist and author Gwen Ifill recently spoke at U of M during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
2010 Symposium. – Barbara Orto photo
It seems like the global perspective about
Please gift my articles to others who may be
Black people is that they do not deserve needed grieving.
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