Friday’s fundraising dinner at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Newcastle will help a group of Haitian refugees in the village of Gros-Morne that have fled from the devastation created by the Jan. 12 earthquake which flattened buildings and took the lives of more than a hundred thousand victims.
Frazier Meade, a member of Newcastle’s St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, said a group of refugees was discovered squatting in the village by a priest making his rounds after church.
Meade, one of the dinner’s organizers, said the pastor, Pere Jean Lenord Quatorze, reports more than 20,000 refugees have moved into this village, located in the mountains, about four hours from Cap Haitien.
The refugees, who just showed up and squatted in the village, had little food and limited water supplies. These conditions triggered serious disease in 10 victims that ultimately required hospitalization.
The dinner, dubbed Heart for Haiti is set for 6:30 p.m., Fri., Feb. 12, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Newcastle. It will feature Haitian food, décor and music.
“This is a wonderful way to help Haiti,” said Newcastle’s Susan Meade, a longtime supporter of that island country
Dinner tickets, which can be obtained at the sponsoring churches and the Maine Coast Book Store, will be $25 for adults and $15 for youths under 18.
Churches joining to assist the dinner are: St. Andrew’s Episcopal, Newcastle; St. Columba’s Episcopal, Boothbay Harbor; St. Giles’ Episcopal, Jefferson; St. Phillip’s Episcopal, Wiscasset; St. Patrick’s Catholic, Newcastle and the Midcoast Meeting of Friends, Damariscotta.
