Bay Area Hasn't Forgotten About Haiti

A massive outpouring of donations from San Franciscans will be headed to Haiti at the end of the month, where people are still struggling in the wake of January’s massive earthquake.

The San Francisco Fire Commission had already been asking for donations to orphanages in Haiti in the weeks prior to the 7.0-magnitude quake on Jan. 12. Following the disaster, donations of clothing from about 3,000 people filled 4,000 boxes, according to fire commissioner Victor Makras, who organized the effort.

"The outpour was very, very generous," Makras said.

On Saturday morning, dozens of volunteers, including San Francisco Fire Department personnel and parents and children from local schools, will load the donations into three 40-foot containers at San Francisco's Presidio.

The containers will be placed on a ship leaving the Port of Oakland on June 26 and scheduled to arrive in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on July 26 for distribution to orphanages throughout the country.

Makras said his group has been working with actor Sean Penn on the distribution effort.