57 Disaster Strikes Haiti AGAIN 6 years after being hit with the devastating earthquake, Hurricane Matthew turned away from what would have been a direct hit to southeast Florida, and for a few hours stalled over southern Haiti. The southern part of this country of 11,000,000 people was again crippled. Poorly constructed houses and huts that again replaced similar structures (if you want to call them that) destroyed by the earthquake were swept away. Cholera ran rampant and the same people who suffered 6 years earlier were desperate for help. But how could HOT help the Haitian people? HOT was concerned that any supplies we purchased or money we sent would end up with either “government officials,” or “middlemen” who control much of the commerce. We sought out the one partner who we could trust to make sure what we sent would ALL end up with those in need, the “Archdiocese of Miami.” Additionally, as HOT always tries to lever its grants, we also partnered with B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton. A Challenge Grant from HOT and a list of supplies read on the holiest night of the Jewish year, by the synagogue’s Rabbi, David Steinhardt resulted in HOT’s $36,000 becoming $72,000 AND on the Sunday following the Rabbis reading the list $200,000 of supplies were brought to the synagogue. Almost 1,000 (yes, almost 1,000) people came to the synagogue on Sunday. They brought everything on the list. We kept sending out for more pallets. We kept sending out for more shrink wrap. When added to what HOT bought with the $72,000, there were a total of 72 pallets. $36,000 leveraged to more than $250,000. $36,000 from HOT grew to over $250,000. More than 7-1 leverage. But the leverage was actually far greater than 7-1 because the Archdiocese took responsibility for loading the 72 pallets on a ship, getting someone to ship for free, off-loading, trucking to a central warehouse and then trucking to 6 distribution points