There are two events for Haitian relief this Sunday, January 31st here in Portland. I’d love to see you at either of them!

First, from 11 to 5, Jeff Lorton, the organizer of the Portland Haiti Relief Container, is hosting a Super Sunday event to fill a second (!) shipping container with supplies and food for Haiti. There will be drinks, food and music and more volunteers would be greatly appreciated! Pearl and I brought some donations for the first container and I am happy to be able to do it again.

Here’s what they’re looking for:
Aid Items Needed: Peanut Butter, Baby Formula & Cereal, Medical Supplies & Hygiene-Sanitary Supplies, Small Dome Tents.

Financial donations for the container’s shipping expenses will be matched by US Bank. You can get more information from Jeff at jefflorton@gmail.com or on Facebook.

Meanwhile, Isa Chandra is hosting a Vegan Bake Sale for Haiti at People’s Co-op from 2-5, benefiting Mercy Corps. Bring something delicious to donate or buy some treats for yourself! Pearl and I will be bringing a pan of Isa’s chocolate-chip blondies and I’m sure we will be leaving with lots more too — just look at all the awesome stuff people have signed up to bring! And if you’re not in Portland, there are vegan bake sales going on all over the place.

If you go:

Super Sunday for Haiti Relief
11-5 with music, food and drinks
SE 12th + Ankeny St. in Portland

Vegan Bake Sale for Haiti
2-5 with delicious treats
People’s Co-op, 3029 SE 21st Ave. in Portland

Update: I have made a pan of blondies for the bake sale tomorrow and added little heart toppers, too! I’ll post a little how-to for the heart toppers if anyone is interested. I used this recipe from Isa Chandra for the blondies, but put in cranberries and walnuts instead of chocolate chips. All three of us like them — success!

A postscript to the Haiti Relief Container effort, too: listing the supplies the organizer has asked for (in my original post, above) has attracted some anti-formula comments and links (which I do not agree with, and have deleted). I personally am donating baby formula to the relief effort, along with several of the other things they’ve also specifically asked for. As a mother I think that infants, especially those who have lost their parents, desperately need safe, nutritious food and I trust the relief agencies and medical personnel to distribute it as they see best. I suppose my views are best represented by this article about a maternity ward in Port-Au-Prince, and especially by the quote from Dr. Carole Duboche.

My hope is that anyone who disagrees with me on this issue will not be deterred from supporting the collection tomorrow (or any other relief effort) because they may also be accepting formula. If peanut butter, soap, or help with the shipping costs are more compatible with your views on the subject, they certainly need those things too, and I hope we can agree to respectfully disagree.

With gratitude for all that we have,
Susan