Rotarians throughout Kent have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the public to appeals for money to help the victims of the tragic earthquake in Haiti.

Rotary Clubs swung into action quickly and organised fundraising.

Their prompt action has been rewarded by £76,000 being donated in just over two weeks, and still more is expected from events planned in the near future.

On the first Saturday after the earthquake, for example, the Rotary Club of Ashford organised a street collection in the town centre and collected £3,000 in six hours.

District Governor Euan Eddie said "Rotary Clubs in typical style have just got on with it, prompted by the need for a quick response to an appalling situation. People trust Rotary to make sure that the money gets to the disaster area quickly and efficiently."

The principal recipient of the money is ShelterBox, a charitable Trust set up by the Rotary Club of Helston in Cornwall which sends shelter boxes to stricken areas.

Each box contains a 10-person tent, basic hand tools, water containers and purification kits and, for tropical areas, mosquito nets.

The containers have a variety of uses like water storage and some have been used as cradles for infants born into a disaster area.

Each box costs around £490 which includes transport and distribution. Already sufficient of these boxes have been pledged to provide shelter for 30,000 people.

One of these boxes was funded by the pupils of St Mary’s Primary School, Dover, who held a fundraising event in conjunction with harvest festival in the autumn of 2009 when they raised £650.

More than £1,000 was raised by the pupils of Hilltop Primary School in Strood who held a non uniform day. Headteacher John Allen reported that this is a record sum for the school and was touched by the generosity of his pupils and parents.

"Some of the pupils even gave their own pocket and Christmas money", he said.

As well as shelter, there is also an urgent need for medical supplies staff as fears for public health emerges and healthcare for those injured and rescued becomes critical.

Donations are urgently needed for both efforts and can be made direct to ShelterBox via their website at www.shelterbox.org or by contacting the nearest Rotary Club whose location can be found by visiting www.rotary1120.org