Rotary is recognized by ShelterBox USA for its commitment to disaster relief

Rotary received a special recognition award from ShelterBox USA recently during its Humanitarian Awards Dinner in San Francisco.

Rotary was recognized with a plaque for its commitment to disaster survivors around the word during the event, which honors those who have made ShelterBox USA’s lifesaving mission possible. Other organizations recognized included Airlink, Baker & McKenzie, Centerline Digital and UPS.

Rotarians have been working with ShelterBox USA’s parent, ShelterBox, since the grassroots disaster relief organization was founded in 2000. In March 2012, Rotary International and ShelterBox signed a project partner agreement, enabling members of the Rotary family to have an immediate, lifesaving impact in communities hit by disasters.

Rotarians are often ShelterBox’s first point of contact, helping to assess the impact of a disaster and to identify communities most in need of assistance. Rotarians and Rotaractors work with ShelterBox in a variety of ways, including funding relief kits, providing logistical support during a deployment, and distributing aid as a member of a ShelterBox Response Team.

Recently, Rotarian ShelterBox volunteers provided shelter to hundreds of families in the Philippines displaced by a typhoon. In October, after Hurricane Sandy devastated parts of the northeast coast of the United States, Rotary districts 7500 and 7640 worked with ShelterBox Response Teams to identify the most vulnerable families and distribute aid.

In July 2012, the Krasnodar region of Russia saw the worst flooding in the country’s history. A ShelterBox Response Team worked closely with the Rotary Club of Krasnodar to conduct needs assessments, coordinate transportation, and help with logistics for deployments to Russia. Forty-three families received emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies while their homes were being rebuilt.