Tide Loads of Hope Commemorates One-Year Anniversary of Haiti Earthquake with the Introduction of a Documentary Short Film

CINCINNATI, Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On the one-year anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti, Tide Loads of Hope is releasing a short documentary film that shares stories of Hope, providing a glimpse into the lives of residents and relief workers in Haiti who have tirelessly worked to help rebuild the lives of those who lost so much.  

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/tide/48047/

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110112/MM27897)

Soon after the earthquake struck Haiti, Tide Loads of Hope, a mobile laundry program committed to helping families affected by disaster, began implementing a plan that would offer lasting aid to two organizations in dire need of the program's services. With the help of Operation Blessing International, Tide Loads of Hope traveled to Haiti to provide the National University Hospital of the State of Haiti (HUEH or the "General Hospital") and Zanmi Beni, a home for disabled orphans and abandoned children, with the resource it knows best: clean laundry, and this time in the form of new, permanent laundry rooms.

Tide Loads of Hope arrived in Haiti on August 31, 2010, making its first stop at the General Hospital. There, the team constructed the hospital's first-ever working laundry room with eight washers and dryers. Prior to this, the General Hospital was serving 700 beds and was washing bed sheets and laundry entirely by hand. Working with Operation Blessing, Tide Loads of Hope traveled next to Zanmi Beni orphanage and built a fully-functional laundry room to wash the linens and clothes of the facility's 48 young children and 30 full-time staff members. Now, with the new laundry rooms, the staff has more time to spend tending to hospital patients and children at the orphanage now that their time isn't taken up with washing linens and clothing by hand.

The film, entitled "Espwa" or "Hope" in Creole, documents Tide's journey to Haiti and is narrated by five-time Grammy Award winner and Tide Loads of Hope ambassador, Faith Hill. The film premieres today on Tide's Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Tide, and a special screening event will be held in Park City, Utah during the 2011 Film Festival.

"Since the launch of Tide Loads of Hope in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, the spirit of the communities we've been able to reach has inspired us," says Kevin Crociata, Tide Marketing Director. "It is that inspiration and our recent trip to Haiti that has led us to create this special film, which we hope moves the nation and urges people to help families affected by disaster."  

In an effort to expand its disaster relief efforts to reach more people, Tide Loads of Hope is honored to announce a new partnership with the American Red Cross. Each year, Tide will donate funds to support Red Cross global disaster relief efforts to assist in places where Tide Loads of Hope might not otherwise be able to help. In the event of a disaster within the United States, the Red Cross will offer the Tide Loads of Hope team its on-the-ground, expert counsel to help the team provide the most effective relief response.

"As Tide Loads of Hope continues to grow, we are grateful for the support of the American Red Cross. Their expertise in disaster relief, coupled with our ability to provide an important basic necessity to those in need, will allow us to strengthen our ability to aid families affected by disaster," says Crociata. "Together, we will be able to reach more people in more places."

"As we respond to disasters, we see the difference that clean comfortable clothes make to those recovering from disasters," says Charley Shimanski, Senior Vice President of Disaster Services for the American Red Cross. "We look forward to joining Tide Loads of Hope and its mission to help serve more people who are in need of assistance after suffering the unexpected hardship that follows a natural disaster."

Tide Loads of Hope was created shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005. Since then, Tide Loads of Hope has been committed to helping communities affected by disasters by providing free laundry services to families and relief workers including those impacted by Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav and Ike, California wildfires, floods in Fargo, ND and the floods in Nashville, TN and floods in Pike County, KY. To date, Tide has washed over 36,000 loads of laundry for more than 27,000 families.  For smaller-scale disasters, where the truck's services are not needed, Tide Loads of Hope often donates bottles of detergent to these areas to help those recovering from disaster.  

For more information on Tide Loads of Hope, please visit TideLoadsofHope.com.  You can also follow Tide Loads of Hope on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TideLoadsOfHope or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Tide.  

About Tide®

For over 60 years, Tide® has been caring for the clothes of American families and helping to provide the everyday miracle of clean clothing.  To meet consumers' diverse laundry needs, Tide offers its cleaning in a variety of products including Tide Total Care, Tide with Febreze Freshness, Tide Coldwater, Tide with a Touch of Downy, Tide with Bleach Alternative, Tide Stain Release, Tide High Efficiency and 2X Ultra Tide Liquid.  For consumers' on-the-go stain removal needs, Tide to Go instant stain remover helps remove fresh food and drink stains on the spot.  Visit http://www.tide.com for helpful product information, practical tips on laundry care, special offers and promotions and more.

About Procter & Gamble

Four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®. The P&G community includes approximately 127,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About The American Red Cross

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization -- not a government agency -- and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join the blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

SOURCE Procter & Gamble