Many organizations around the county have been collecting money or aid kits to help in the recovery of Haiti and now another area church is joining the mission.

The First Presbyterian Church of Rockingham has recently signed up as a collection site for “Kits for Haiti Relief,” a program sponsored by the Presbytery of Charlotte.

There are three different disaster kits that are needed — baby kits, hygiene kits and clean-up buckets.

The Presbytery of Charlotte’s Coordinator for Mission, Justice, Hunger and Disaster Programs Debbie Wilkinson said the kits are a good way to let people take an active role in helping the victims in Haiti.

“People like hands-on things to do and not just giving money,” Wilkinson said. “Especially for kids it helps instill the sense of mission and doing something for others.”

Rev. Dwight Williams of First Presbyterian Church of Rockingham said this is a collaborative effort between other regional churches to create better stewardship.

“We recognize this recovery effort is going to be a long-term challenge for the people there, and for all people around the world who are helping address the loss there, and it is a part of our response to what we believe Christ is calling us to do,” Williams said. “So we’re making our space available so folks who want to continue to support the efforts in Haiti can bring their kits and donations here.”

For the baby kit, include six cloth diapers, two T-shirts or undershirts (no onesies), two washcloths, two gowns or sleepers, two diaper pins and two baby blankets. Items should be wrapped inside one of the blankets and secured with both diaper pins.

For the hygiene kits, include one hand towel (16/28, no fingertip or bath towels), one washcloth, one wide-tooth comb, one nail clipper (no metal files or emery boards), one bar of soap (bath size in wrapper), one toothbrush in original packaging and six Band-Aids. All items should be sealed in a one-gallon plastic bag with a zipper closure. No toothpaste can be accepted due to expiration date issues.

The clean-up buckets should include one 5-gallon bucket with a resealable lid, five scouring pads, seven sponges of assorted sizes, one scrub brush, one package of cleaning towels (18 reusable, like Easy Wipes), one box of dry laundry detergent, one liquid concentrated household cleaner (like Lysol), one bottle liquid disinfectant dish soap (like Dawn, 25 ounces), 50 clothespins, clothesline, five dust masks, two pair of latex gloves, one pair of work gloves, 24 count roll heavy-duty trash bags (33-45 gallon) and one bottle of non-aerosol insect repellent.

All liquids need to be in plastic bottles and packed in a plastic bucket.

The Presbytery of Charlotte said these kits are a tangible way for individuals and groups within the churches and communities to respond to the disaster in Haiti. The kits will be delivered regularly for a long period of time and will be distributed through Church World Service and other organizations.

Collection times at the First Presbyterian Church of Rockingham are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

The Presbytery of Charlotte is also collecting funds for relief in Haiti and to date has collected more than $75,000 according to Wilkinson. They are also collecting medical supplies and getting help from Hendrick Motor Sports, Carolina Healthcare Foundation and other groups to get the supplies to Haiti and various mission groups stationed in Haiti including the Double Harvest Hospital right outside of Port-Au-Prince.

Wilkinson said the Presbytery represents seven counties and 132 churches.

Wilkinson said the Presbytery is trying to organize mission groups from the area and hopes to start sending people over to help with whatever is needed — medical, construction, etc., — by March or April.

Wilkinson said coordinating the efforts to get the supply kits to Haiti is a bit complicated but said the supplies are as necessary as the monetary donations because the mission groups, hospitals, and people are short on everything and can use all the help they can get.

There is no deadline for donating kits as this will be an ongoing effort until the need is met.

For more information on Haiti relief efforts by the Presbytery of Charlotte, visit www.presbyofcharlotte.org.

Staff writer Eren Tataragasi can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 19 or at etataragasi@yourdailyjournal.com.