ASCCC and donation partners join in the relief effort

 The American Samoa Community Cancer Coalition (ASCCC) has begun to receive various donations to provide assistance to those families who are victims of the recent Tsunami.  According to Vice Chairman, Rochelle Reid, "From the first wave of paypal donations food, toiletries, batteries, flashlights, etc. were purchased locally and divided into family care packages.”   Half of the funds were used for these first deliveries to villages spanning from Poloa to Tula.  ASCCC has partnered with PICED volunteers to purchase, package, coordinate deliveries, walk the villages in search of affected families and find out what their specific needs are. 

ASCCC would like to recognize the donations provided by the San Francisco Friends of American Samoa/Samoa coordinated by Manufou Liaiga Anoai.  Through their efforts they were able to collect food items, clothes, and other non perishable items.  The Friends of San Francisco were able to partner with Hawaiian Airlines for the delivery of over 40 boxes.  The donated items have helped many displaced families, and recovery centers in American Samoa.  

Bags were delivered to Alao, Tula and Asili (pictures).  As the volunteers learned of their needs and how many families were affected the other half of the paypal donations were used to purchase specific items and will be delivered on Oct. 9th to a list of families identified during the first trip out to the villages. 

“ASCCC has partnered with other local agencies (i.e. Department of Human Social Services), to provide assistance to local residents,” states Mrs. Reid, and “deliveries of items were also made to the village of Fagasa via Faipule (Rep) Taotasi Soliai, and to other outlying villages, Tula, Alao.  Other donations were provided to Fatuoaiga who will be disturbing cases of food to four families in Leone”.   

During the deliveries to the east side a camera crew from KVZK accompanied our volunteers.  Their interviews with donation recipients were broadcast as a one-hour documentary on Wednesday, October 7th.  It was a sobering reminder of what happened on September 29th, and how the past week was utilized to clean up and coordinate for recovery. “As we have gone out to deliver the items, every recipient of Cancer Coalition goods was informed that donations were sent from off-island” says the Vice-Chair, and “We recognize that we have a long road ahead of us, but as long as we can continue to partner, things will be easier as more help is coming.”