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Kelowna  

Containers of generosity

There’s a small window of time left to help ship containers packed with donations to Cuba.

Kinsley Hettinga has started a Go Fund Me campaign to pay for shipping the containers — which are filled with baseball and sporting equipment, household items, baby clothing and thousands of shoes from Soles4Souls.  

The funds need to be raised by Sunday to have the containers shipped June 1.

Hettinga said her dad, Rick, started by taking duffle bags full of donations on his trips to Cuba and quickly saw the need for more. 

“After spending countless months working with government officials and various communities, the doors were finally opened for aid to go into Cuba,” she said.

For the past  eight years her family has been collecting and shipping sports equipment and household goods in shipping containers across the ocean to Cuba.  

Last October, Rick suffered a major aorta dissection and as a result suffered from a stroke.  

After spending seven days in the intensive care unit and weeks in the hospital, he was finally able to come home — but the effects of the stoke have taken a huge financial toll.  

“Here is where we need help,” she said. “The two containers have already been purchased and they are completely full of donations, but the cost of shipping the containers is still outstanding. Each container costs approximately $6,000 to ship from Canada to Cuba.”

The Go Fund Me campaign has raised more than $4,000 so far, but time is running out.

The containers go through a six-month journey, consisting of a trip across the ocean, time spent in port, a thorough examination of every item in customs, delivery to their established destinations and organized distribution among the community members. 

“Sports promote healthy habits for children in vulnerable communities, where drug and alcohol addiction is a common consequence of those in poverty seeking relief from their high-stress lives,” she said.

“Sports are critical to a child's development and teaches core values such as co-operation and respect. It also brings individuals and communities together, bridging cultural or ethnic divides.”

Donations can be made through their Go Fund Me campaign.



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