Canfield students raise money for Haitian refugees

CANFIELD — Elementary students raised enough money to give nearly 100 people a place to sleep.

During a five-day collection drive, students from C.H. Campbell and Hilltop elementary schools raised more than $8,500 that will go toward shelter boxes for people affected by the earthquake in Haiti, said C.H. Campbell Principal Kent Polen.

“I think this was a need [the kids] could relate to,” he said. “They saw it on TV every night, and they discussed it in the classroom.”

The money was presented today to Canfield Rotary during an assembly where students were able to see exactly what goes into the shelter-box kits.

Shelter boxes, developed in 2000 by British Rotarian Tom Henderson, are disaster-relief kits that supply families with shelter and ancillary tools for up to six months, according to shelterbox.org.

Jack Young, of Rotary International’s Shelter Box board of directors, said each box costs $1,000 and contains items such as a tent that sleeps up to 10 people, cooking tools, sleeping bags, water-purifying tablets, a small propane stove, crayons, a shovel, rope, ponchos and an ax.

For the complete story, see Thursday's Vindicator and Vindy.com