Want to know more about where our Rags Consignments unsold items are going this month…  Right now we are focused on helping Haiti, and every Tuesday night, we donate any unsold items to H.E.L.P.

Since Tuesday’s earthquake in Port-au-Prince, sending relief to Haiti has been a primary concern. H.E.L.P., a nonprofit, is sending aid items such as clothing and kitchen supplies as well as two teams of volunteers to assist volunteer workers in Haiti. About 25 new volunteers have enrolled with H.E.L.P. to assist in sorting through their 17,000-square-foot warehouse for usable items, but they can always use a few more hands.

“We don’t want to send just anything,” said Jean Kaye Wilson. “We want to send what they need, and that’s part of our responsibility.”

H.E.L.P. has partnered with 65 other organizations to send more than $20 million in aid throughout the world since 1999.

It takes a lot of money to send a 40-foot container on its 2,000-mile journey to Haiti. It will eventually travel by truck, train and boat before it arrives at its destination, and that adds up to a hefty delivery fee. H.E.L.P. has received an anonymous donation from a person in the Colorado Springs area to cover the $12,000 bill for such a shipment, but it needs more funding in order to reach its goal of sending two containers. Donations to cover the delivery cost of the container, as well as the travel cost for the medical team H.E.L.P. has assembled, are ways the public can assist H.E.L.P. and earthquake survivors.

There are some items that are essential to the relief effort but are rarely found at the donation warehouse. Items such as water filters, water tablets and sunscreen are at the top of the list, according to marketing director Rebecca Valencia. Because many buildings were destroyed in the earthquake, tents and other survival gear can make a huge difference to earthquake survivors.

“Even items such as camping chairs are important for relief workers, who work all day to help survivors and need to sit down,” Valencia said.

For a full list of donation items, ways to help and information about H.E.L.P. International, visit their Web site at www.helpint.org.

- Warehouse number: 629 14th St., S.W., Loveland, CO 80537; 970-481-2531

- Hope’s Warehouse: 801 Main St., Longmont; 303-776-3307

This story written by P.J. Nutting with the Fort Collins Coloradoan.