Sep 14, 2008 8:40 pm US/Eastern
Matt Damon, Wyclef Jean Helping Out In Haiti
HAITI (CBS4) ―
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Matt Damon and Wyclef Jean helped distribute food in Cabaret, Haiti.
CBS
Kendrick Meek traveled to Haiti Friday. Now Hollywood stars are seeing the devastation first hand. Actor Matt Damon and hip hop singer Wyclef Jean are in Haiti helping the storm victims.
Damon and Haitian-born Jean handed out bags of rice, beans and jugs of cooking oil Saturday in Cabaret, a town where 60 people died in flash floods last week. Things got out to a rough start, however, when the truck carrying the food was mobbed by a huge crowd after it got stuck in a ditch. Jean climbed up on the roof and calmed the crowd as Damon and several other volunteers distributed the much needed supplies.
Hurricane Ike was the latest of four storms that have killed hundreds on the island and left thousands homeless and hungry since mid-August.
The Gonaives police buried dozens of unidentified corpses before they stopped counting the dead. Aid agencies are concerned about medical supplies at mobile clinics treating stomach ailments, respiratory problems and cuts and infections from people walking in flooded streets.
Sunday, Damon and Jean planned to take a helicopter to one of the hardest hit cities in the country, Gonaives, where tens of thousands are living in shelters with little food and water. They plan to distribute much needed food and other supplies as well as visit a cathedral where about 500 people have taken refuge.
Jean sang briefly to the crowd, encouraging them to stay calm and organized.
Damon and Jean have asked for help in a U.N. effort to raise more than $100 million for Haitian storm victims.
If you would like to help, firefighters in Miami are accepting non-perishable food and clothing donations for Haitian storm victims at 12 fire stations throughout the city.
It's a joint project between the City of Miami and the agency Food for the Poor. It runs through September 19th.
A special collection at all Catholic churches will be held on Sunday, September 28th, and four churches in Miami-Dade and Broward, including Notre Dame of Haiti, are designated as drop-off sites for canned food.
Neighbors 4 Neighbors is also involved. You can help by calling
(305) 597-4404.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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