Donated Food Sitting at Port While Haitians Go Hungry

Would it surprise you to learn that donated relief items from Riviera Beach have been sitting on a dock in Haiti for three to four weeks, while people there are starving?
So what's the hold-up?
According to a spokeswoman for a firm at the Port of Palm Beach that arranged the shipping, it often takes that long to complete paperwork and get approval from several government departments in Haiti before it can be handed out.
She told us the stuff is non-perishable and is not rotting.  It is now on a dock in the port city of St. Marc, Haiti.  But it is not getting yet to the people who need it.
Countless people in Riviera Beach and the surrounding area donated the items earlier this summer. They had enough to fill a shipping container. Beans, rice, bottled water, clothing and medical supplies valued at about $100-thousand dollars were collected.
She hopes they'll get clearance from the Haitian government in the next few days to hand it out. Riviera Beach Mayor Thomas Masters says he intends to travel to Haiti to personally assist in passing out the goods.    "I wish the process was faster, but it is what it is.  I'm not worried," Masters said.