According to Jim Cavnar, the media personalities who came to see the distribution of gifts were deeply impacted by the experience. For most of these distinguished reporters, in fact, it was their first trip to Haiti.
“They all seemed struck by the level of poverty in Haiti – particularly the areas hit hard by Hurricane Matthew,” said Jim. “They were especially moved by the stories of the children, and by the fact that the kids had never received Christmas gifts before. The entire experience – the fact that the families were so poor, that they barely had one meal a day – all of these anecdotes impressed on them the dire situation in Haiti. I don’t think any of them had experienced anything like it before.”
“They were also impacted by the hurricane damage they witnessed all along Haiti’s southern peninsula,” Jim added. “People in the States have a hard time realizing how devastating Hurricane Matthew was to the people of Haiti. Here it is, more than six months later, and even though much has been rebuilt, trees are still damaged and homes are still demolished. They saw the devastation first-hand and it affected them greatly.”