ShelterBox USA is a non-profit disaster relief program administered by the Rotary Clubs of Lakewood Ranch, FL and Helston-Lizard, Cornwall, UK. It is supported by the concern and grassroots generosity of individual US citizens and organizations: service & community groups, schools, corporate and private foundations.

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Shelter Box Brew
Updated 5-12-08 07:20 (GMT -05:00)

About Shelterbox



Tom Henderson (left), founder of Shelterbox.

The purpose of Shelter Box USA, Inc. is to provide victims of disaster with shelter, by supporting the efforts of the Shelter Box Trust.

The function of Shelter Box USA, Inc. is, within the USA, to raise the money that provides the shelter for disaster victims.

Shelter Box is a grassroots Rotary club project which has rapidly grown to an international level.

The Shelter Box project was conceived and developed by Tom Henderson, a member of the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard, Cornwall District, in Great Britain as their Millennium Service Project. Struck with the urgent world-wide need for a self-contained emergency shelter unit when disaster occurs, Tom designed a tent, researched suppliers and, through trial and error, developed the Shelter Box.. The international relief agency Feed the Children, has called Tom’s Shelter Box ‘the best disaster relief tool they have seen in their 20 years of experience’. Working primarily through UK Rotary clubs, Tom and his Rotary club has succeeded in exposing the Shelter Box project to over 25 million Brits and, as a result, distributed provided shelter for approximately one-third of a million people in the last six years.

In March, 2002, Tom approached the newly formed Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch (near Sarasota, FL) to become the primary Rotary administrator for the Shelter Box program in the United State, known as Shelter Box USA. This commitment involves promoting Shelter Box not only through the established US Rotary club network but to other community groups, corporate groups and individuals, as well. ShelterBox USA became a non profit 501(C)(3) organization, with a Board of Directors, in 2005.

As a result of exhibiting at the 2003 Rotary International Conference, Shelter Box USA was responsible for initiating two other national affiliates: Shelter Box Down Under (in Australia) and Shelter-Box Canada. Shelter Box Japan is the newest global partner.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions
Who are ShelterBox?
What does ShelterBox do?
Where did the idea come from?
What’s the link with Rotary?
Is ShelterBox a Rotary International project?
Who funds ShelterBox?
How does ShelterBox spend its money?

Box Questions
What’s in a ShelterBox?
Do you send anything else?
How big are the boxes and what do they weigh?
How much does each box cost?
Can donors track their box?
How quickly can you respond?
Who decides where you send aid?
How do you get boxes to the country where they are needed?
Do you keep boxes ready to go?
Who packs your boxes?
Can donations be given for a specific location?
How do you source box contents?
Where do the tents come from?
Do you sell the tents or other items?
How long does the equipment last?
What happens to the Boxes once they’ve reached their destinations?

Global Questions
Where are ShelterBoxes sent?
How do boxes get there?
Who volunteers for your ShelterBox Response Teams?
Do you work with other aid organizations?

Donation/Support Questions
How can I give money to ShelterBox?
How do I get more information about ShelterBox?
How do I raise money for ShelterBox?
Can I help ShelterBox as a volunteer?

Who are ShelterBox?
The ShelterBox Trust is a registered UK charity operated by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard and based in Cornwall.

The charity was set up in April 2000 to provide aid for disaster victims and the first ShelterBoxes were sent to Gujarat in India in January 2001.

The ShelterBox Trust is also supported by ShelterBox organizations set up by Rotary clubs in a number of other countries, including the USA, Canada, Australia and Southeast Asia.

All aid provided by ShelterBox is organized and distributed from The ShelterBox Trust’s base in Cornwall.


What does ShelterBox do?
Our mission is to deliver immediate relief to victims of natural and other disasters anywhere around the world.

Disasters to which we have responded include earthquakes, hurricanes, wars, floods, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and typhoons.

We achieve our mission by providing rugged 10-person tents to be used as emergency accommodation and other survival essentials as required.

As of January 2007, ShelterBox has sent aid to 31 different countries, providing shelter for approaching 500,000 people.


Where did the idea come from?
The unique ShelterBox concept was thought up and developed by ex-Royal Navy search-and-rescue diver Tom Henderson – the charity’s founder and general manager.

Disasters – whatever the cause – often result in huge numbers of people left homeless. The initial challenge is often to get medical aid to the injured and make sure everyone has access to water and food.

However, another essential is shelter. That’s because without protection from the elements survival can be a real battle – particularly for the young, old and infirm.

In late 1999, Tom realized there was a need for an organization that could address that specific challenge. He spent the next couple of months researching the idea, sourcing equipment and getting others to back the project.

The ShelterBox project was officially launched by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard in April 2000.

Five years after its first deployment in January 2001, ShelterBox has become one of the most effective aid agencies in the world.


What’s the link with Rotary?
ShelterBox founder Tom Henderson was a member of the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard and getting the club and Rotary behind the idea was an obvious choice.

ShelterBox was subsequently adopted by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard as its millennium project and registered as a UK charity. The directors of The ShelterBox Trust are members of the Helston-Lizard club.

ShelterBox is now enthusiastically supported by many Rotary clubs in the UK and Ireland – who help raise around a large proportion of the charity’s income. Rotary clubs in the United States, Australia, Canada and Malaysia have also set up national branches of ShelterBox in their countries to fundraise on our behalf. Support organizations run by Rotary clubs are also in the process of being set up in a number of other countries, including Germany, Norway and New Zealand.

In the 2004-2005 financial year 12% of ShelterBox income came from the USA, 4% from Australia and 1% from Canada. In total, around 50% of all ShelterBox income is currently raised through Rotary clubs in the UK and abroad.


Is ShelterBox a Rotary International project?
No. ShelterBox is a project of the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard. It cannot be referred to as a ‘Rotary International Project’ for legal and copyright reasons.


Who funds ShelterBox?
ShelterBox is funded entirely by donations – the majority of which currently come from the public in the UK and Ireland.

At present 83% of our income is from UK donors, 12% from the USA, 4% from Australia and 1% from Canada. Boxes paid for with money raised in Southeast Asia, Germany, Norway and New Zealand have also now been sent out.

Around half of ShelterBox’s income is from donations received directly by the charity. The other half is raised on our behalf through the Rotary organization.

ShelterBox receives no money from governments or large grant-giving bodies.


How does ShelterBox spend its money?
Our latest audited figures (2004-2005) show that 92% of our income went directly on the boxes and their contents, 6% on support costs, 1% on management and administration and 1% on fundraising and publicity.

The annual report for 2005-2006 will be published later this year.


What’s in a ShelterBox?
Each ShelterBox is a large, rugged, green plastic container that holds a 10-person tent and a range of other equipment. In general, typical box contents could include:

• Thermal blankets and insulated ground sheets
• Waterproof ponchos and bin bags
• A multi-fuel stove that can burn anything from diesel to old paint!
• Cooking pans, utensils, bowls and mugs
• Collapsible water containers and water purification tablets
• A basic tool kit – hammer, axe, saw, pliers, hoe head, trenching shovel, rope etc
• A small, children’s pack containing drawing books, crayons, pens etc.
However, a range of equipment is kept in stock. This allows ShelterBox to be flexible and adjust the contents of the box according to local conditions and what is most urgently needed.

We also have sleeping bags that can be used in particularly cold conditions.

Sometimes – particularly if other resources are available locally and the overwhelming need is for shelter – we will just send tents and pack two in each box.

Once assembled, boxes will be banded and sealed ready for transit. They are also individually numbered so each box can be tracked and donors can know its final destination.


Do you send anything else in the boxes?
In any disaster a large number of victims will inevitably be children. Schools will often have been destroyed along with homes and other buildings.

ShelterBox will, therefore, sometimes include blue ‘school boxes’ in their consignments along with the usual green boxes. These contain essential supplies for teachers, including blackboard paint and chalk, along with school equipment for 50 children.

Please note: We do not fundraise separately for the school boxes. These are only sent out as part of an overall aid consignment and are paid for through the Gift Aid that we reclaim from donations and via other non-specific sources of funding.

Depending on the situation, we also sometimes send out – in about one box in 10 – a wind-up, solar-powered radio capable of receiving FM and other transmissions (LW, MW & SW) so that communities can keep hear broadcasts from local authorities, aid agencies etc.


How big are the boxes and what do they weigh?
Each box is 23.7” (570mm) wide by 33.2” (842mm) long by 22.4” (602mm) deep – giving a capacity of 40.7gallons (185 litres). Fully packed, a box weighs between 110lbs and 130lbs (50 to 60kg).


How much does each box cost?
Each ShelterBox costs – on average – $1,000 US (£490).


Can donors track their box?
Every ShelterBox is individually numbered and donors of $200 US (£100) or more are advised of the identification number of their box. The final destination of boxes can then be tracked via our website www.shelterbox.org


How quickly can you respond?
ShelterBox is often able to get its boxes and a response team to the scene of a disaster – anywhere worldwide – within 48 hours of a request for help.

The exact time will depend on the circumstances and we can only distribute aid within safe and achievable operating parameters. On each occasion we will take advice from the UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) and other relevant bodies.

However, our aim is always to provide immediate aid wherever possible.


Who decides where you send aid?
Boxes are deployed in response to requests for aid from Rotary Clubs and from international aid agencies in countries where disasters have occurred.

The decisions on whether to send aid, how many boxes and what goes in the boxes are made by the General Manager, based on the available resources at the time of the disaster and the charity’s projected income.


How do you get boxes to the country where they are needed?
Most boxes are taken from Helston by lorry and then flown to the country where they are needed using regular commercial flights. The UK airport from which they leave will depend on flight availability, timing and cost.

Aid generally leaves from airports in the London and Midlands areas but could leave from anywhere. Because deployments are often at very short notice, ShelterBox has to find flights going to the right destination that still have cargo space available.

In some situations – such as during the Southeast Asian Tsunami – ShelterBox aid has been flown free but this tends to be an exception.

Boxes are also sometimes sent by sea to destinations where there is an ongoing humanitarian need rather than a particular crisis, such as in parts of Africa.

In some countries, such as East Timor and Somalia, where there is no functioning airport, aid may be flown to a neighboring country and then taken in by boat or some other means.

Aid is delivered to the actual disaster area by whatever means are appropriate – this decision is often based on advice from local Rotary clubs and the ShelterBox Response Teams (SRTs) that have accompanied the aid.

SRTs will charter vehicles locally and work with whatever other organizations are appropriate. These could include: other aid agencies; local armed forces, police and government bodies; Rotary and other local non-governmental bodies.

Where needed, SRTs are used to finding alternative forms of transport, whether using donkeys in the mountains of Kashmir or building rafts in Sri Lanka to reach communities cut off by flooding.


Do you keep boxes ready to go?
ShelterBox purchases additional boxes and equipment as and when funds permit and the need arises to replenish stock.

Stock levels will vary according to the demands being made on ShelterBox at any one time. However, we always endeavor to keep sufficient reserve of tents and equipment so that we can always provide an immediate response to any disaster.

We are greatly helped in this by the fact that our main supplier, Vango, provides us with sufficient tents on credit to house 25,000 people. These tents are held ‘in bond’ and can be released immediately funds come in following a major disaster, allowing us to avoid any wait for tents to be manufactured.

Some ‘standard’ Boxes will be kept prepared but we will also have sufficient equipment stored individually so that we can pack Boxes in response to local needs.


Who packs your boxes?
Teams of volunteers – both individuals and groups from clubs, churches and other organizations – pack our boxes.

Our volunteers often come at extremely short notice, working evenings and weekends, in response to crisis situations unfolding all round the world.

In emergency situations volunteers have helped pack as many as 400 boxes in one day.

ShelterBox relies on the help of volunteers and would only be able to achieve a tiny fraction of its work without their help. The use of volunteers also means that a very high proportion (92%) of all money raised for the charity goes directly on paying for ShelterBoxes and their contents.


Can donations be given for a specific location?
Because of the way ShelterBox works (see above), we are unable to accept location and/or time specific donations.


How do you source box contents?
ShelterBox only uses new, good quality equipment and obtains all material from leading suppliers – often getting items at cost price or below.

When sourcing items, we have to consider not only price but also whether a manufacturer can supply in sufficient volume within a given period.

It is also crucial that equipment is durable, well constructed and capable of standing up to a range of potential climatic conditions.


Where do the tents come from?
Our rugged dome tents are a unique ShelterBox design that has evolved as the result of years of experience in countries around the world.

Modelled on a typical African bush hut, the tents have been successfully stood up to snowfalls in the mountains of Kashmir, tropical downpours in Indonesia and the intense sunlight of Kenya and surrounding countries.

The tents have built in mosquito screens, integral groundsheets, good ventilation, internal privacy screens. We have also developed a heavy-duty flysheet that can prolong the life of the tent by eight to 10 months by protecting it from the UV damage caused by intense tropical sun.

ShelterBox continues to research ways of improving its tents and is currently looking at ideas such as a thermally insulated inner tent.

The tents are currently made in China and supplied by the Scottish company Vango.

A special arrangement with Vango allows us to keep sufficient tents in stock to house 25,000 people. These tents are supplied on credit and held ‘in bond’ ready to be released as and when funds are available – greatly increasing our ability to respond to major disasters.


Do you sell the tents or other items?
No. All equipment is bought with money that has been raised on the understanding that it is to be used to help disaster victims.


How long does the equipment last?
ShelterBox’s mission is to provide immediate relief to victims of disasters but we realize that our equipment may need to be in use for a considerable period.

The length of time that a community takes to recover from a disaster will vary enormously. In general, however, we would anticipate our aid being needed for at least six months and would expect the tents and equipment sent to last for years if treated reasonably.

However, local circumstances and the scale of a disaster may result in aid being used for much longer periods – we know that tents sent to Afghanistan in 2001 were still being used two years later. That’s why it is important that the aid we send is hard wearing and long lasting.


What happens to the Boxes once they’ve reached their destinations?
The Boxes are tough, 49-gallon containers that can themselves be very useful to aid recipients – ideal for food or water storage. They have also been put to use as cots, tables and for general storage and transporting other materials.

Because they are such useful items to the people who they’ve been sent to, we do not reclaim empty boxes – also the cost of recovering and shipping back empty boxes would outweigh their value.


Where are ShelterBoxes sent?
The first 140 ShelterBoxes were sent to Gujarat in India following a devastating earthquake in January 2001.

Since then, ShelterBox has sent out nearly 30,000 boxes worldwide – providing emergency accommodation for approaching 500,000 disaster victims. As of January 2007, ShelterBox has sent tents to:

• Afghanistan (war)
• Algeria (earthquake)
• Angola (war)
• Burundi (war)
• The Dominican Republic (flood)
• East Timor (war)
• Ecuador (volcano)
• Grenada (hurricane)
• Guatemala (landslide)
• Haiti (typhoon)
• India – Gujarat (earthquake), Bihare (flood), Chenai (tsunami)
• Indonesia – Sumatra (tsunami), Java (earthquake, volcano and tsunami)
• Iran – Basra (war)
• Iraq – Bam (earthquake)
• Kenya (war and flood)
• Lebanon (war)
• Liberia (war)
• The Maldives (tsunami)
• Nepal (flood)
• Pakistan – Kashmir (earthquake)
• Palestine (war)
• Papua New Guinea (volcano)
• The Philippines (typhoon)
• Romania (flood)
• Serbia (flood)
• Somalia (war)
• Sri Lanka (tsunami)
• Sudan (war)
• Uganda (war)
• Ukraine (flood)
• United States – Louisiana & Mississippi (hurricane)

How do boxes get there?
ShelterBox generally uses commercial carriers to fly boxes from various UK airports. The airline and airport used will depending on which one has the first available flights.

Trained volunteers from our ShelterBox Response Teams usually fly into the country with the Boxes and arrange onward transportation.

Getting to the disaster scene can be a massive logistical challenge but one our teams are used to dealing with – whether building rafts to get to villages cut off by flooding or hiring teams of donkeys to carry Boxes into isolated mountain communities.


How do you operate so effectively all over the world?
ShelterBox frequently manages to reach disaster scenes up to a week ahead of other, larger aid agencies.

That’s because ShelterBox’s links with the worldwide network of Rotary clubs not only helps with fundraising; it also gives us an enormous advantage in the field.

Rotary has 33,000 clubs and operates in most countries of the world. Often, when a disaster strikes, our first point of contact is with a club from the country concerned. Their local knowledge means they can advise on what has happened, where the worst damage has occurred and exactly what help is needed.

Our Rotary contacts – often senior business figures – can frequently advise on how best to get aid into their country, sometimes bypassing bureaucracy that can hold up organizations without local knowledge.

Because Rotary and ShelterBox are totally non-partisan and use volunteers who work and live with the local population, our ShelterBox Response Teams (SRTs) can often cross political and religious divides in order to reach areas where some organizations are reluctant to operate.

As a result – in Sri Lanka and Indonesia following the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004, in Pakistan following the Kashmir earthquake of 2005 and in Java following the earthquake and tsunami of 2006 – our SRTs are often the first on the scene with help for disaster victims.


Who volunteers for your ShelterBox Response Teams?
A number of the volunteers who we deploy to disaster scenes are members of the ‘blue light services’ – police, paramedics and firefighters.

Others are from a range of backgrounds and include both men and women.

Our volunteers – who all undergo a ShelterBox training program – need to be physically fit, able to work as a team, mentally prepared for the challenges ahead and able to live in sometimes basic conditions in the field.


Do you work with other aid organizations?
Wherever possible, volunteers from the ShelterBox Response Teams (SRTs) accompany our aid in order to make sure it gets directly to those people who most need it.

During ShelterBox’s first few years, our boxes were sent out via a variety of larger aid agencies, including Save The Children (Afghanistan), The Red Crescent (Iran) and The Salvation Army (The Dominican Republic).

We sent our first SRT out in the wake of the SouthEast Asia Tsunami of December 2004. Over the next six months, ShelterBox volunteers worked with Oxfam, the UNHCR, the Salvation Army and various national organizations in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India, as well as delivering aid independently.

More than 20 SRTs have been deployed subsequently and organizations that we have worked with have included UNICEF in Somalia and with the Salvation Army in Java.

The Rotary organization also remains crucial to the success of ShelterBox’s operations. During the 2006 Lebanon conflict we flew aid into Cyprus. A network of Rotary contacts then got the aid into Beirut – even while the fighting was still going on – and distributed it to homeless Lebanese families.


How can I give money to ShelterBox?
Donations can be made by filling in a donation form on our tri-fold brochure or online via the website www.shelterboxusa.org , (SPONSOR A BOX)

Alternatively, US donors may cheques should be made payable to ShelterBox USA and sent to 8374 Market St. #203, Bradenton, FL. 34202.

Where an address is provided, ShelterBox will send a receipt for all donations – unless the donor explicitly states this is not required.

Every ShelterBox is individually numbered and donors of $200 US or more are advised of the identification number of their box.


How do I get more information about ShelterBox?
News and further information is available from the US website www.shelterboxusa.org, which provides a link (click on photo labelled Latest Disaster Update. To the latest News on the UK site (www.shelterbox.org). We also produce a monthly bulletin that is available by email – to join the mailing list contact PR@shelterboxusa.org .

Alternatively, if you have any questions about ShelterBox, please contact our office at 941-747-8500 or by email to info@shelterbox.org

The office is normally open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. However, these hours may be extended during an emergency when ShelterBox is responding to a major disaster.


How do I raise money for ShelterBox?
Most of our fundraisers organize their own events and activities – anything from sponsored walks and coffee mornings to fire walking and a winter camp-out in Minnesota.

ShelterBox can provide sponsorship forms and various general purpose posters and flyers – for copies contact our office at 941-747-8500 or email info@shelterboxusa.org. Local presentations can be arranged if there is a Rotary District Representative in your area (consult CONTACT US on our www.shelterboxusa.org site to find your nearest representative). If no one is available, contact us for a free DVD for a do-it-yourself presentation to your organization.


Can I help ShelterBox as a volunteer?
ShelterBox relies on volunteers to make its work possible.

Volunteers help at ShelterBox Bradenton FL headquarters in many ways: office administration, answering telephones, preparing mailings etc. Volunteers also help man publicity stands at local community events in your area, and give talks to help raise awareness of ShelterBox. Contact info@shelterboxusa.org or call 941-747-8500 for further volunteer information.

If you are a Rotarian interested in becoming a local club /Interact/Rotaract representative in your District, please contact Bob Peiser, bobp@shelterboxusa.org.

Our ShelterBox Response Teams are also comprised entirely of volunteers (not necessarily Rotarians) Further recruitment information can be found on our website www.shelterboxusa.org or by contacting Rotarian Jim Miller, US SRT Coordinator at SRT@shelterboxusa.org or phone: 850-240-1798.

Disclaimer: The 'ShelterBox Trust' and in conjunction, ShelterBox USA, will only distribute aid material on the basis of need and within safe and achievable operating parameters. Location and time specific donations cannot be accepted.

Copyright 2007 ShelterBox USA - An International Rotary Club-to-Club Project, Administered by the Rotary Clubs of Helston-Lizard UK and Lakewood Ranch, FL USA.

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