For the past two weeks, the Haitian Students Association has been collecting food, clothing and school supplies to assist victims of the recent storms in Haiti.
The drive was successful enough that it has been extended for at least two more weeks, according to Deborah Saint-Vil '10, co-president of the club.
"I'm really excited," Saint-Vil said about the unexpectedly large number of contributions to the drive.
While the group has not yet totaled the amount, Saint-Vil was impressed with the volume of contributions in one of the boxes in Faunce House on Saturday.
Haiti was hit by three hurricanes and one tropical storm in August and September. The storms left about 800 dead and hundreds more missing or injured. The island's cities and infrastructure were devastated as well, leaving many people homeless and creating massive food shortages.
The World Bank and the Red Cross, among other organizations, are providing humanitarian aid and funds to help rebuild Haiti.
"It was natural that the group at Brown should do something significant," Saint-Vil said. She and the three other co-presidents of the HSA decided that collecting supplies for hurricane victims would be the most effective way for the group to contribute.
The HSA is collaborating with Students of Caribbean Ancestry and several other organizations for the drive. They have included the Providence community in their effort and hope to soon set up donation boxes in local high schools in addition to the one already in the Wheeler School, Saint-Vil said.
The collection boxes are located in high-traffic areas such as the Sharpe Refectory, Faunce House, the Gate, Josiah's and the Third World Center.
Saint-Vil, like many students in the HSA, has family in Haiti and said everyone on the island is "always affected in some way" by natural disasters like these.
