Charlie Moran is a founder of Friars Suppliers.  Friars Suppliers is a non-profit that provides food and basic resources to convents and friaries in the Franciscans of Renewal Community.  Because Friars and Sisters make a vow of poverty, this means, they only live on what is donated to them.  They literally must "beg" for all their needs.  "We reasoned that if we do the begging for them and we provide for their needs... then, they will able to accept more vocations and have more time to focus on their prayer life and service to the poor, which will benefit everyone."   

 

Another arm of Friar's Suppliers is their Haiti Mission.  Since 2003, Charlie has been traveling to Haiti and has devoted his life to trying to improve the lives of the people he has met there.  On August 14th, Haiti experience a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.  Charlie immediately started begging for money to send.  He promised his contacts in Haiti $25,000 to buy food for people in need even though he had no idea where this money would come from.  Community groups from all over the tri-state area answered Charlie's call.   Only a few short weeks later, Charlie received pictures from his crew in Haiti of 1,120 people receiving meals.  In order for the trucks to get to the earthquake area safely, food was loaded into trucks and then a tarp was put down and concrete and debris was put on top to conceal what was in the truck.  It was an 800 mile trip from Rivers Friode to the south of Haiti.  Food was distributed in 7 different towns.  Each person received 50lbs of rice, 25 lbs of beans, 10 lbs of pasta and 1 bottle of mazola oil.  

 

This latest mission in Haiti is only a small bit of the good work Charlie does in Haiti.  In upcoming months, he plans on building 65 houses and latrines. He also sends 15 barrels filled with basic supplies every week to Haiti.  Our club took up a collection and presented Charlie with a check.  One thing that has changed in Charlie's life since visiting Haiti, is that he will now eat whatever his wife puts in front of him.  After meeting so many adults and children who go DAYS without meals, he felt silly complaining about her pea soup.  His talk really put things in perspective and reminded Rotarians about how much suffering there is in the world.