Immediately following the earthquake that struck Haiti, leveled buildings, cut off communication and killed several hundred thousand Haitians, Convoy of Hope was mobilizing to help those in the impoverished country.

Convoy of Hope driver J.D. Starbuck accepts a donation from Sue McDonald, of the Monmouth Beach EMS, at the Little Silver Firehouse where food and medical supplies were collected on Saturday for the Haitian earthquake relief effort. Story and photos, page 3. CHRIS KELLY staff The nonprofit first responder organization established an emergency command center just outside the city of Port-au- Prince where food, water and supplies are being distributed to victims of the earthquake that rocked Haiti on Jan. 12, according to a press release from local 12th District legislators who were helping to get the word out.

Convoy of Hope rolled an 18-wheeler up to the Little Silver Fire House last Saturday to collect Haitian relief donations of food, health and medical supplies from local businesses, residents and community organizations. From there, the convoy made a stop in Freehold. The donated supplies will be driven to St. Louis on Jan. 24 and flown to Haiti by Jan 30.

Clockwise from left: Trish McDerby and Brianna McGittigan pack supplies for the Haitian earthquake relief effort at the Little Silver Fire House on Jan. 23. Bruce McDonald (center), of the Little Silver Fire Department, carries medical supplies to be loaded on an 18-wheeler with donations for the Convoy of Hope, a nonprofit relief group that will ship the supplies to Haiti. Paul Sniffen, a U.S. Navy veteran and Rumson resident, said he expects the local effort to yield a full truckload of food and health care products for Haitian relief efforts.

“It’s not much, but every truckload helps,” he said last week.

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Saturday’s drive was very successful, Sniffen said in an email Sunday.

“We did it, 12 pallets in Little Silver, 4 pallets in Freehold, maybe 6-8 today [Sunday] in Asbury Park.”

Sniffen said the relief effort will continue for months.

“We are all concerned about the rainy season in the spring and hurricane season in the summer,” he explained. “People need to be fed, clothed, educated, trained, employed, relocated and adopted in the meantime.”

Hal Donaldson, founder and president of Convoy of Hope, said the organization’s director for Haiti is on the ground in the devastated nation.

“We are working closely with our partners to check on the children we feed and also to assist victims with immediate needs,” said Donaldson in an interview last week.

He noted that those who had donated to the organization before the quake played a significant part in helping Haitians immediately after the earthquake struck.

“Our warehouse in Haiti had just been restocked with food and supplies before the earthquake. That allowed us to begin meeting needs immediately,” he said.

“That warehouse was stocked with food and supplies in part because generous donors gave sacrificially.”

Convoy of Hope has over one million pounds of food and supplies currently headed to Haiti and Donaldson said more would be sent in the coming days and weeks.

“We have made a long-term commitment to Haiti and we will be depending heavily on our friends to help us help Haiti,” he said.

Based in Springfield, Mo., Convoy of Hope feeds the hungry and provides pure drinking water to people in need across the United States and around the world. To date, the organization has helped more than 28 million people in 112 countries and 45 states.

According to the website, as children and adults exit the gates at Quisqueya Chapel, Convoy of Hope’s main food distribution point in Port-au-Prince, joy and gratitude are expressed in the form of wide smiles.

“Our relief workers in Port-au-Prince are working tirelessly and at great risk to themselves to bring real help to the victims of this disaster,” Donaldson said.

“Our leaders on the ground are saying that security, fuel shortages and a scarcity of food and water remain critical concerns.

“We’ll continue to focus on the relief and recovery effort as long as resources allow. Of course, our ongoing program of feeding 11,000 kids each day will remain a priority.”

Kary Kingsland, vice president of disaster relief for Convoy of Hope, said the organization is enlarging its fleet of vehicles and personnel on the ground to increase capacity.

“Having worked through many disasters, our team understands the importance of establishing supply lines and methods of transportation,” he said in a prepared statement.

“Each disaster is different, but with the magnitude of destruction and devastation in Haiti, Convoy of Hope will be in the country for a long time,” Kingsland said.

Donaldson said Convoy of Hope has worked in Haiti for several years and feeds more than 7,000 children there each day.

One week after the quake, Convoy of Hope had already distributed more than 350,000 meals and installed 30 water filters that will provide clean drinking water for countless people for many years to come.

“We are absolutely amazed and extremely grateful for those who have given to Convoy of Hope so that we can meet the many needs represented in Haiti,” Donaldson said.

“Each day through our distribution points in Port-au-Prince we are able to make a difference in people’s lives.”