Gainesville Rotarian Mike Freeman spoke to the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville about Shelter Box. Shelter Box is an organization that creates large boxes containing supplies such as a tent, mosquito nets, and water purification materials. These boxes are deployed to natural disaster zones and distributed to local survivors, enabling them to have basic shelter and survival supplies as they rebuild their lives. Shelter Box was created by a Rotary Club in the UK and is now an international organization with at least one team deployed at all times. It has a small paid staff but is mostly run by volunteers. Mike has been deployed 16 times to disaster zones such as Zambia, Guatemala, Mexico, and New Jersey. Each time he travels with a small team that assesses the needs in the affected area and oversees distribution of the boxes, which can be tailored to contain needs specific to the zone where they will be used. Mike also described his most recent Shelter Box deployment to the Philippines in 2014 after Typhoon Haiyan devastated the area in late 2013. After Mike spoke, the Rotary Club of Lawrenceville donated $1,000 to Shelter Box.