1996

Fr. Reiser travels to Haiti.  “I had seen slums in China, Egypt and Mexico City,” he wrote.  “None of them compare to the tragic realities of the slum outside Port au Prince.”  In time, Fr. Reiser established Reiser Relief Inc.

2005

Began operation of water truck, delivering free water to people of Cite Soleil.  The St. Nicholas Knights of Columbus Council #12520 of New Market, MN, purchased a semi-tractor and trailer equipped with two stainless steel tanks capable of holding 3,500 gallons of water.  These were shipped to Haiti.

2006

Reiser Relief collaborates with Healing Haiti, a non-profit organization that shares a strategic alliance with Reiser Relief.  With combined generous donations, many updates to Reiser Heights Primary School were built: a 4-room school addition, a 30,000-gallon cistern to collect clean water off the roof of the school, a 4-stall sanitary block (concrete outhouse), and a kitchen to replace the tin shack that was being used to prepare food for the children.

2007

Reiser Relief is incorporated.

Reiser Relief donations continue to support a 3,500 gallon water truck delivering clean water each month to Cite Soleil.  With the help of ECOsmarte Corporation, a second 3,500 gallon water truck was added to bring clean water to the slum of Jeremy Wharf outside of Port-au-Prince.

2008

Reiser Relief continues to deliver clean water to the poor of Cite Soleil.

Reiser Relief assists in delivering two cargo shipping containers of food packets.  These food packets were assembled by volunteers in the U.S. and donated by the nonprofit organization Feed My Starving Children. The food was used to feed 300 children at Reiser Heights Primary School, 425 children at Terre Promise School, and 630 children at three other orphanages.

2009

Lack of funding due to hard economic times results in using only one of the two water trucks to provide fresh drinking water.  One truck still delivers free water to 24 neighborhoods in Cite Soleil.  Four water deliveries are made daily, six days a week.  The water truck provides employment to 4 Haitians.

Reiser Relief delivers one cargo shipping container thru Feed My Starving Children to feed the people of Haiti.

Reiser Relief supports Terre Promise Primary School (400 students) and Reiser Heights School (270 students) which provides education and food.  Reiser Relief funds teacher salaries, cooks, food, water, school supplies, and maintenance.

Phase one construction at begins at Grace Village, a place where God’s loving Grace can touch the people of Titanyen, Haiti.  This collaborative effort between Reiser Relief and Healing Haiti includes an orphanage and a food service center to feed street children and deliver meals to the elderly.

2010

On January 12, Haiti is hit by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake centered about 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince.  Reiser Relief was quick to respond.

On January 13, Reiser Relief sent $10,000 to Haiti for water truck fuel expense and local food purchases to assist with immediate relief.  The water truck was able to start delivering water within 2 days after the devastating earthquake.  Reiser Relief filled cisterns for orphanages, schools, medical clinics and provided emergency relief to the displaced families forced into tent cities in Port au Prince.  We were able to continue operating the truck for the entire year.

In February, Reiser Relief donated $10,000 to Feed My Starving Children for ingredients to make MannaPack-Potato nutrition packets.  This formula is used to treat children suffering from diarrhea, the number one cause of death.

The earthquake destroyed two schools next to Terre Promise. Reiser Relief collaborated with three other non profit agencies to expand Terre Promise to accommodate these children.  Currently there are 615 children enrolled in Terre Promise and 325 children enrolled in Reiser Heights.  Reiser Relief pays salaries for 22 teachers, 2 housekeepers, and provides water and school supplies.

In March, Reiser Relief donated $6,000 to assist in paying for shipping a cargo food container from Feed My Starving Children.

Also during 2010 Reiser Relief facilitated completion of the exterior of the Feeding Center at Grace Village with $30,000 in private individual donations and a $50,000 grant from the Chicago law firm Corboy and Demetrio.  We also donated $10,000 toward purchase of a backhoe to help clear earthquake rubble around the schools and assist with construction efforts at Grace Village. We also purchased a tilt box with removable sides for a dump truck.  The dump truck is used in construction projects in some of the harder to-get-to areas of Haiti.

2011

Reiser Relief makes a $10,000 donation to Mother Teresa’s Missionary Sister of Charity in Haiti and a $35,000 donation to Feed My Starving Children for raw materials.

Reiser Relief purchases and ships a used water truck to Haiti.

We continue to deliver clean water to the poor of Cite Soleil and fund teacher salaries, cooks, food, water, supplies and maintenance at Terre Promise and Reiser Heights schools.

December 27, 2011

Our beloved founder, Fr. Bernard Reiser, was called home by our Savior and Lord for Eternal reward.

2012

Fr. Reiser’s niece, Ann Brau, is the newly elected President of Reiser Relief in February.  Along with Fr. Reiser’s current dedicated board, members of the Reiser family take up the torch in Father’s memory.  Fr. Reiser’s niece, Joyce Getchell, is elected to serve the board as Secretary, and Fr. Reiser’s nephew Bernie Maciej joins the board as well.

Our goals for 2012 are:

• Continued water delivery in Cite Soleil with the addition in the near future of another water truck to expand this ministry
• Continued support of teacher salaries, water, food, maintenance and school supplies at our school sponsored schools.
• Possibly sponsoring another small school in Titanyen
• Possibly donating towards the construction of an eldercare facility in Grace Village.