Misawa relief efforts continue with help from Seattle talk show

  • Published
  • By Capt. Darrick B. Lee
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  Although it's been more than three months since the March 11 earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck Japan, members of the Misawa Air Base community are still continuing with relief efforts to help those affected in surrounding areas.

On June 21, service members at Misawa Air Base received and unloaded more than $1.2 million worth of humanitarian assistance donations collected from private citizens in the Seattle area. The donations, which were packed in five shipping containers, arrived by cargo boat at Hachinohe Port June 17.

Although massive in size, the project originally began with a handful of Misawa community members committed to helping children at affected orphanages in the area. In the days following the tragedy, many volunteers visited the orphanages on periodic trips to tend to the needs of the children. They delivered food, clothing and necessary supplies while the base focused on other relief efforts, including assisting local communities with clean-up efforts.

Gemini Sanford, wife of Senior Chief Petty Officer Daniel Sanford of Naval Air Facility Misawa, was one such volunteer.

"My husband returned from a trip to Bikou-En Orphanage and told us they only had four days of dry food left," said Mrs. Sanford, who, like others affected by the tragedy, spent the following days looking for ways to help the community. "My friends and I immediately knew we had to do something, and after our initial visit seeing the needs of these children, it just grew."

Mrs. Sanford recalls how she and other volunteers collected food and supplies, often at their own expense, to provide for the orphanages.

"My friends and I received calls from worried friends and family, all wanting to know what they could do to help," Mrs. Sanford said. "We were all fine, but after letting our people back in the States know about the orphanages and their needs, we immediately began receiving care packages. It was amazing."

Mrs. Sanford said she was expecting to simply receive a few packages in her mailbox. But, when word of the collection drive reached Seattle-based disc-jockeys Ron Upshaw and Rachel Belle of "The Ron & Don Show," the project grew exponentially.

The show, with an estimated followership of more than 300,000 people, organized a collection drive with listeners in the Seattle area. What started as a plan to deliver hot meals and a few toys to one orphanage soon turned into more than 96,000 pounds of donations, ranging from food, clothing, kitchen appliances and more. Volunteer workers in Seattle collected enough to fill five freight-truck-sized containers with the donations, including 3,000 pounds of baby food and more than 4,700 pounds of diapers.

LIFT, a non-profit logistics provider, ensured the containers were shipped from the U.S. to Japan at no cost.

Faced with this massive outpouring of support, Misawa Air Base worked with the City of Misawa to develop a plan for distributing the goods to several orphanages in the area. Volunteers sorted the goods, and orphanages began receiving the donations June 27.

Base officials advise that even though things are returning to normal since the tsunami, there are still opportunities to help the Japanese recover from the March tragedy. Contact Misawa Helps to learn more at misawa.helps@misawa.af.mil.