“As soon as the emergency is over, we hope to put our shoulders underneath it and start a number of businesses to assist in the relief effort and that's something we need help with.”

- Jake Tamminga, CME member

When news broke of the earthquake that struck Haiti, Jake Tamminga, president of JAY-LOR®, humbly donated a hefty sum of money out of his own pocket to Mission to Haiti Canada (MTH), a non-profit charitable organization that has provided food, education and clothing to children in Haiti for more than a decade.

Volunteers from MTH and from JAY-LOR®, the manufacturer of high quality TMR mixers based outside of Toronto, have already shipped five massive containers (8 x 40 ft) of equipment to Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, providing such supplies as medical equipment, construction tools, shelter, clothing and power generators. The containers are packed by a dedicated crew of two dozen people in Toronto before they are shipped by train to Halifax. From there, the containers are delivered by ship to Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, and distributed to Haitian citizens seeking refuge on compounds set up by churches affiliated with MTH.

The average container carries a value of nearly $100,000 worth of supplies. But for Tamminga and his like-minded companions, it's a small price to pay for saving hundreds of lives.

"We have no idea how good we actually have it and we have no idea how poor they are," he says. "We have to help out our fellow man. The only joy you get is by sharing and I can’t stress that enough. If you give it’s a good feeling. It’s something we are called to do."

However, Tamminga is not interested in merely offering short-term band-aid solutions to Haitian citizens affected by the earthquake. He and other volunteers from MTH booked flights to Haiti for the end of January, but were forced to cancel amid major congestion at the airport in Port-au-Prince.

“We were going to look for business opportunities to set up a number of small enterprises to help the locals become self-efficient, like fishing with nets and starting a cinder block factory,” Tamminga said. “The ultimate goal is to start producing in Haiti so they have exports. That’s the one thing with Haiti is that they have no exports today—there’s money leaving the country but none coming in.  Those enterprises would all help support the orphanages, the medical centers and the schools,” he added.

“As soon as the emergency is over, we hope to put our shoulders underneath it and start a number of businesses to assist in the relief effort and that's something we need help with,” Tamminga says. “We’re not out to fix all of Haiti, but were out to do what we can.”
 

Contact CME

If you are interested in becoming a part of the ongoing rescue effort, please contact CME and tell us a little about yourself. 

E-mail help.haiti@cme-mec.ca with your contact information and tell us how you could help contribute.

In February, we will begin looking at how interested parties from the CME network can band together to provide needs-based assistance in the reconstruction of Haiti's infrastructure.

Leadership makes the difference. Together, we can make the world a better place.

Make a donation

Make an online donation to Mission to Haiti Canada.

View a listing of charitable organizations working in Haiti.

Help Haiti home | Make a Donation | Provide Ongoing Support | Contact CME