ShelterBox USA president aids in response efforts

LAKEWOOD RANCH — In many ways, Emily Sperling’s trip to Peru last month was just as she expected.

As president of ShelterBox USA, the U.S. affiliate of ShelterBox, an international aid organization that provides emergency shelter and life-saving equipment following disasters, Sperling is well acquainted with the organization’s mission, operations and stories. But, after two years championing the cause from her Lakewood Ranch office, she and Shelterbox USA’s volunteer manager, Alan Monroe, traveled May 13 to May 27 to Peru, where they helped distribute boxes of aid to families affected by extensive flooding along the Amazon River.

Although Sperling had seen hundreds of pictures of disaster-relief efforts, spoken with volunteers and championed ShelterBox’s cause for two years — first as its director of operations and now as its president — she had never experienced one of ShelterBox’s deployments firsthand.

“I already felt a sense of urgency, but this strengthened my commitment (to ShelterBox’s mission),” Sperling said. “I go to bed thinking about this (cause). It’s the same thing that wakes me up in the morning. I understood the awesome responsibility we have, but now I have a little more satisfaction in doing it and having met the people receiving aid.”

Sperling said she usually handles deployment efforts — including fundraising, running the operation and handling other behind-the-scenes tasks — from her office.

But, for the Peru deployment, she and other volunteers traveled to remote flood-stricken areas by boat, only to reach their final destination by carrying the boxes through ankle-deep mud. In total, they distributed 141 ShelterBoxes, each containing a tent, pots and pans and other items, to families in need.Sperling said she was amazed by the resilience shown by the Peruvian people — how they rallied together to help set up tents and how their children would be out flying kites despite the circumstances. Many families who were left without homes of their own stayed with friends or family or found refuge in school classrooms.

“Their real desire is to get back to life as normal,” she said, noting recipients were more excited to have pots and pans with which to cook for their families than to have housing. “There was a real sense of satisfaction in seeing relief come across their faces.”

“They were very surprised to learn the equipment was being provided by donors,” she said. “The folks broke into cheers for us and came up one-by-one by one to give each of us a hug and a kiss. They were thanking the donors through us.”

For more on ShelterBox USA, visit shelterboxusa.org.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

FUNDING
The donation required to sponsor an entire ShelterBox is $1,000. Donations for boxes fund the purchase of items in the box, assembly, warehousing and delivery to disaster survivors.