PLAISANCE, Haiti — The Charlotte relief team took its last 55 bags of donated food and clothes to this small town, an hour from Cap-Haitien.
About 500 earthquake evacuees met it at a church hoping to get one.
They stormed forward as soon as Sabine Guerrier, leader of the Charlotte team, opened the back door of her bus to distribute the packages.
Kids fought over a half-liter of water. Old women pulled at the rice bags given to others.
Guerrier gave out numbers to evacuees who would get one of the packages, which included some bedding, hygiene products, clothes, cereal, canned vegetables and shoes.
She and Jeps Alcime, a Charlotte computer scientist who, like Guerrier, was born in Haiti, stood outside the door to hand out the goods. But they were forced back into the bus as the desperate pushed to the front. Many grabbed at Guerrier and Alcime. They tried to wrestle away the supplies.
"I have not eaten in days," a woman without a ticket pleaded with Guerrier.
Another said: "I could be your mother. You're probably a mother, too. Please help me."
Read the complete story at charlotteobserver.com
