The Projector: An Awesome Charity

A few months ago, my dad ran into his cousin on a plane. They started talking about life, and then began discussing work. My dad's cousin, Ron, told my dad all about a company he works for, called ShelterBox. My dad came home, told me about the company, and I immediately wanted to write a story about it. The following is my article that was recently featured in the Projector, and I hope you like it:

They have provided emergency living environments for over 500,000 disaster victims worldwide. They have offices in eight countries, Canada included. They provide assistance within 48-hours of getting a call. Yet, very few people have ever heard of them.

The ShelterBox organization was founded by a Rotary Club member in England. With 80 full-time ShelterBox ambassadors, and a few hundred additional volunteers, the Canadian branch of ShelterBox is an important part of a large, worldwide operation.

The name, ShelterBox, directly represents the product. They are transportable shelters in a box. Each box contains necessary survival supplies for ten people, including a tunnel tent, sleeping bags, a multi-fuel stove, a water purification system, cooking supplies, and various tools and equipment. Nearly 30,000 boxes have been sent throughout the world since 2001. Countries such as Romania, India, Indonesia, Haiti, Iraq, and Afghanistan have benefitted. The supplies are of the highest quality, and it costs $1200 to sponsor a box.

Don Ohlgren, Executive President of ShelterBox Canada, became involved with the organization after a speaker visited his Rotary Club in 2004. After volunteering to help ShelterBox during the disasters in China and Burma last year, Don and his wife, Anne, began working for the organization. “We were tasked by England to take on the full-time position of managing ShelterBox Canada.” He explained that “we constantly work with all the major organizations,” including the United Nations and the Red Cross.

“Others do food, medicine, rescue and the like, but we are specialists in shelter and nothing else. That’s why we are so good and so fast at what we do,” he said.

Canada currently raises 8 to 9 per cent of all worldwide donations, with only 730 Rotary Clubs throughout the country to work within. The future goal for ShelterBox Canada, according to Ohlgren, is to prepare over 5000 boxes per year within five years. That is within Canada alone. “Worldwide,” he explained, “ShelterBox will be doing over 50,000 boxes per year, and Canada wants to be at least ten per cent of that total every year.”

Sylvia King, ShelterBox ambassador in Winnipeg, feels fulfilled working for the organization.
"As individuals who live in such an affluent country as Canada, with very few dramatic natural disasters, it is a privilege to serve those individuals in the world who are so much less fortunate.” King does not foresee the need for the organization decreasing. “There are constantly more and more disasters occurring worldwide, resulting in more need for boxes than ShelterBox can meet,” she said.

“The best part about working for ShelterBox,” explained Ohlgren, “has been meeting fabulous volunteers and like-minded people all across Canada who want to help out other people they will know and will never meet, but are still willing to financially aid them in times of disaster.”

For more information, or to donate or volunteer, visit: www.shelterbox.ca