ShelterBox

ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that provides temporary shelter and life saving supplies to displaced families.

Each ShelterBox typically contains a tent designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, water purification kit, blankets, tools, and other necessities to help a family survive after a disaster. The contents of a ShelterBox are tailored to the nature and location of the disaster.

ShelterBox Response Teams distribute boxes on the ground, working closely with local organisations, international aid agencies and Rotary clubs worldwide.

History

ShelterBox was founded in 2000 in the town of Helston, Cornwall, UK. That same year the Rotary club of Helston-Lizard adopted it as its millennium project.

The first consignment of 143 boxes was sent to earthquake victims of the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. Over the next three years the project matured and by the end of 2004 nearly 2,600 boxes had been dispatched, following 16 major disasters. The company significantly expanded its work in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.