Haiti still needs your help and local mandarin residents are stepping in. Will you?

Operating in Haiti since 1989, FISH was founded in 2003 by Edsel Redden, Putnam County Extension Agent for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, FISH faithfully serves the Haitian communities of Gressier (just five miles from the quake’s epicenter), Jeremie, and most recently, Boucan Carre.

For more than 20 years, FISH has helped Haitian communities develop local, sustainable methods to feed their populations. Through a combination of direct feeding programs, cooperative agriculture, micro-industry, education and extension agent support, FISH helps Haitians help themselves one village at a time. In Leogane, FISH provides the fish and poultry meals to the children of the Macombre school. You will see what has happened to the school and can appreciate the long-term interruption that has been caused to the nutrition and educational programs once sustained there. The woman in the foreground is a good representation of the average Haitian in the area now - no home, maybe a few possession and no realistic hope of food or shelter.

FISH is focused on the long-term development of sustainable agriculture in Haiti, while utilizing its assets and relationships to support short-term stabilization efforts. FISH's sustainable agri/aquaculture assets produce protein servings at 9 and 11 cents a serving locally, while employing local Haitians to conduct all production and distribution of food. With the disruption of other forms of nutrition, our expansion demands have been increased for the long-term.

The goal is to form a human chain across Clay county from Doctor's Inlet to Black Creek on February 20th. All funds raised will be disbursed through Christ's Church to support FISH Ministries in Haiti. Your donations are tax deductible and can be included in 2009 filings.

For more information, visit http://www.holdhands4haiti.com, click here for more info or here for the registration form.

On the web as reported by Jacksonville Times-Union.