YAKIMA, WA Calling their charitable effort A Million Apples for Haiti, three local musicians have joined forces with a number of Washington apple growers to collect 10,000 boxes of donated apples to help provide housing and a healthy treat for quake victims in Haiti.
Members of the Yakima Valley Growers-Shippers Association (YVGSA) and The Village Musicians, a band founded by three brothers, plan to work with Hope for the Hungry, a Texas-based nonprofit organization, to provide aid to Haitians displaced by the January 12 earthquake.
Several YVGSA members will donate the apples and the group will sell 9,000 boxes at $20 each to help raise about $185,000 needed to build 24 sturdy new homes in Haiti. The remaining 1,000 boxes of apples will be shipped to the Caribbean nation for distribution to the hungry.
Hope for the Hungry, an international charitable organization that has been assisting Haitians for 27 years, is currently raising funds to build simple tract houses for homeless Haitians with steel-reinforced, cinderblock walls and metal roofing. The three-room, 360-square-foot homes will cost about $7,740 each and labor to build them will be donated by Haitian homeowners and American volunteers.
The band and the growers plan to recruit 20 local organizations, such as schools, church groups and businesses to adopt a home and raise the money needed to build it. Hope for the Hungry will keep sponsoring groups informed about the family that receives their home and the progress they make in rebuilding their lives.
Our valley is blessed with the one of natures tastiest and most nutritious fruits, says David Lawrence, president of Holtzinger Fruit Company of Yakima. When the guys from the band approached me about how our community can help the citizens of Haiti, the thought of using one of our best assets seemed like a natural fit.
We researched ways to ship the fruit to Haiti to provide fresh fruit to the citizens currently eating disaster-relief supplies. The apples would be not only a fresh, nutritious item for them, but also a great symbol of hope for prosperity from Yakimas famous crop. We soon realized the shipping and distribution would be a logistic nightmare!
Somehow we wanted to capitalize on the generosity of local growers to provide whatever priority aide was needed. When we came across the organization, Hope for the Hungry, we were ecstatic about their humanitarian efforts to recruit volunteers and Haitian citizens to build brand new homes for quake victims. By recruiting local schools and organizations, more people from Yakima can take part in this truly generous effort.
Landon Wilkinson, one of the three brothers in The Village Musicians, adds, We couldnt just sit by and do nothing!
Like most Americans, he and brothers Sean and Riley, were saddened by the devastation in Haiti. Riley reflects, After having witnessed firsthand the impact of Hurricane Katrina on peoples lives, Haitis earthquake inspired me and my brothers to reach out and help those affected.
We have always been taught that no matter what situation you find yourself in, you are always more blessed than someone else, Landon agrees. Our passion for music steams a lot from our upbringing. Blessings are given to you not for your own benefit but to help benefit those less fortunate.
How awesome is it that we can use our music and our circle of friends to join together to help other people? beams Sean.
In addition to coordinating the fundraiser, The Village Musicians along with members of the Yakima Symphony Orchestra will be the headline performers at The Capitol Theatre for the Million Apples for Haiti benefit concert March 28th at 2pm.
Source: Yakima Valley Growers-Shippers Association
