When parishioners at the Church of the Nativity in Burke purchased fishing boats for villagers in Haiti, they assumed their good deed would be used to catch fish. But after Hurricane Hanna cut a devastating path through the Caribbean island this month, the boats were used to save people from flooded towns and villages like Gonaives. The boats saved lives, ferrying stranded villagers to safety. The new use for the vessels was the end of a long charitable journey for the parish.

Ten years ago, parishioners at Nativity were looking for something they could do as a Lenten sacrifice. Someone came up with the idea of helping poverty-stricken Haiti and a parish tradition was born.

“If every family could give 50 cents a day we could save $50,000 during Lent,” said Father Richard B. Martin, pastor.

That Lent they collected nearly $60,000 dollars and helped build 28 houses in some of the poorest parts of Haiti. The giving didn’t stop there.

“We just put a basket in the back of the church after Mass, and people dropped money in it,” said Father Martin. There was no formal second collection, just a basket.

After 10 years of leaving that basket in the back of the church, they’ve collected nearly $2 million for relief services in Haiti. Some of that money went to buy fishing boats.

There’s a Chinese proverb Father Martin often quotes — “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” The parish wanted to give something that would last and would allow the people to fish in deeper waters for king salmon so they could feed themselves and sell any excess for profit.

The parish bought 10 boats; the largest has two engines and a GPS. One of the boats was named the “John B.” after Father Martin’s dad who passed away. The parish worked closely with Food for the Poor, an international relief organization based in the United States that provides relief services to 16 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Jim McDaniel, a Nativity parishioner and a volunteer for Food for the Poor, said he’s seen the good the parish’s efforts have done in Haiti.

“Nativity Church helped build the fish fishing co-op in Haiti. They provided four boats and technical training,” said McDaniel.

“The Nativity boats are saving lives,” McDaniel said. He related the story of a pregnant woman stuck in waist deep water who was ferried to safety by one of the Nativity boats during the storm. She gave birth in a U.N. camp.

To help manage the relief efforts, Church of the Nativity created an organization called “Operation Starfish” to help Haiti and other Third World countries.

Father Martin planned something a bit different this past weekend. Instead of baskets at the back of the church, people stood with the baskets outside the church. Father Martin expected to collect $20,000 to help those stricken by storms.

Story Update 9/18/2008

Church of the Nativity collected $81,651.

Find out more

For more information on Operation Starfish visit Starfishmission.

To learn more about Food for the Poor visit Food for the Poor.