Hurricane Matthew, a category 5 storm that ravaged the southeastern United States during the second week of October, hit the island nation of Haiti before breaking ground domestically.

“Our area, luckily, was spared from any damages,” said Rosedanie Cadet, founder and director of Helping Hands Noramise, a nonprofit based on Orcas Island that focuses its efforts to the impoverished in Haiti. Cadet was born and raised in Haiti, and when she returned in 2009 to visit, she saw the need for non-emergency charitable assistance in the country.

“For me, it was just obvious that home was where I needed to go for a while,” said Cadet.

Noramise doesn’t provide emergency response to natural disasters, but rather exists to aid the poorer population of Haiti survive daily life. Currently, Noramise is working to send seeds and hand-farm tools to those areas with some partner organizations. The storm destroyed this year’s harvest crops, said Cadet, and then newly planted crops were also washed away. She said that in three to four months there will be a major food shortage.

“Our philosophy is helping people with food security issues,” said Cadet. “We should be able to get some seed and farming supplies – we’re shooting for 100 families.”

To learn more information on Noramise’s efforts in Haiti and how you can help, there will be a presentation to the community on Friday, Oct. 28 at the Emmanuel Episcopal Hall from 5 to 7 p.m. You can also send donations to PO Box 1383 Eastsound, Washington 98245.

Charity groups such as the Rotary Club on San Juan Island, Kennewick, Washington and Port Au Prince, Haiti are actively assisting Noramise with achieving its goal. Recently, the Rotary in Port Au Prince prepared emergency supply kits with first aid, water purification systems and food.

The Orcas Fur and Feather 4-H group has also lent a hand to Noramise by collecting money for the charity to purchase goats.

“With their help, and a vet in Port Au Prince, we were able to distribute eight goats in August to some of the youth we work with,” said Cadet.

The children who were not gifted goats during this first distribution are helping those who did so when the next generation of baby goats are born they’ll know what to do.

“Everybody helps everybody, and everyone will benefit from the work they put in,” said Cadet.

Along with assisting rural families, Noramise focuses on a suburb of Port Au Prince called Cité Soleil.

“There’s huge gang violence there,” said Cadet, explaining that Haiti has a social movement called Konbit Soley Leve (Rising Sun Collective) that she hopes to work with during her next visit in December. “This organization has really been doing great work in getting the different gangs to work together.”

Noramise is gathering donations to build a rabbit hutch so that the Haitian children can raise rabbits since they grow faster than goats. This helps kids earn income and have a source of meat.

Cadet acknowledged and would like to thank the community for its altruism and said, “Without that support, we wouldn’t be where we are.”