The Department of Defense and Bridges America Foundation have joined forces to
transport about $1 million of humanitarian aid to Haiti. Approximately 300,000
pounds of food stuffs, medical supplies and other relief items are scheduled to
leave for Haiti tomorrow from the Port of Beaumont, Texas, aboard Military
Sealift Command's "American Condor." Once offloaded in Haiti, the supplies
will be distributed to medical clinics, orphanages and numerous cooperatives.
Bridges America Foundation, based in Houston, is one of the nation's largest
nonprofit, noncommercial consolidators of humanitarian goods. It administers,
consolidates and facilitates the shipping of donated goods from hundreds of
individuals, churches, community groups and companies nationwide. This is the
third Bridges' shipment to Haiti in the past five months, totaling over $7
million in humanitarian assistance.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Humanitarian and Refugee Affairs
Patricia L. Irvin explained that the Department, in cooperation with other
government agencies and within the limits of its resources, understands its
responsibility to help alleviate suffering throughout the world. She said the
Department's Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP) is often the most economical
means available to transport donated goods to foreign countries for
humanitarian purposes.
"Americans have traditionally been generous, caring and compassionate people,"
Irvin said. "This characteristic is intertwined throughout our Constitution,
has been part of our development as a country and today forms the basis of many
of our governmental policies and actions."
Garrett Robinson, executive director of Bridges America Foundation, said
transportation often is the most critical link in the chain of humanitarian
giving. The government handling the shipping and the private sector managing
the donating, consolidation and preparation is a beneficial combination. He
described the Department's assistance to Bridges America Foundation as an
"excellent example of how the private sector and government can work together
efficiently and cost effectively."
"The process of soliciting, gathering, domestically transporting and packaging
goods is very costly in terms of money and manpower," Robinson added. "The
private sector gladly handles this. However, when faced with the additional
burden of transportation to foreign countries, the entire process oftentimes
becomes prohibitive."
The Department's Office of Humanitarian and Refugee Affairs is responsible for
policy oversight and management of the HAP. In the past two years, 115
transportation missions have been accomplished to more than 50 countries.
Acquisition value of the property collected in Fiscal Year 1994 totaled over
$136 million.
