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Hurricane relief boxes still sitting in Portland Wire and staff reports PORTLAND -- When 11-year-old Brittany McCord learned that Honduran children were suffering in the wake of Hurricane Mitch, she packed a shoe box with little stuffed animals, shampoo and crayons and hoped they'd find their way to a needy little girl. But McCord's shoe box -- and 42 tons of shoe boxes like it -- is still sitting at the Portland International Airport because no planes are free to transport the load. The U.S. Air Force had planned to make the delivery before Christmas, but apparently has needed all its planes for other work. Meanwhile, an additional 133 tons of boxed-up supplies are accumulating in warehouses throughout the state, according to officials with Operation Shoebox, a community-based humanitarian organization. The delay is disappointing for children like McCord, a sixth-grader at Fowler Middle School in Tigard. "I wanted her to be really happy because she would have some nice things," Brittany said. "I was thinking she might be sad because they lost everything there, and there were some people on the streets." Humanitarian and Air Force workers hope the supplies will reach Honduras within the next two months, but there are no promises. "It's nobody's fault," said Bill Inman, a Newberg physician and president of Operation Shoebox. "It seems like Oregon is just off the beaten track, and it's hard to get squadron leaders around the country to think about picking (the supplies) up." Dan Johnson of Medford, who started Operation Shoebox a decade ago after spending time in Honduras and witnessing the poverty there, said the delay is frustrating. "We qualified for the emergency airlift, we did everything we're supposed to do, and then Mr. Clinton decided to do Desert Fox, and Mr. Saddam decided to throw missiles at our planes," he said. "There's a limited military airlift capacity. And we all know how much Saddam cares about his own people, much less storm victims." "We are at the mercy of the military," said Marthanne Dedrick, who coordinated local efforts. "I'm as frustrated as anybody. Until it's in the Hondurans' hands, we aren't done." Johnson said the prospects for a commercial airline to donate cargo space to Honduras appear slim. About all that Operation Shoebox and the National Guard can do now is wait. "It's going to get there," said Dedrick. "No one thought that it would take this long. To have your efforts at the mercy of someone else is the most frustrating thing." "The need is great -- and it will still be there," Johnson said. "This is a long-term crisis for these folks," Dedrick said. "When it arrives, it's going to be wonderful." Children across Oregon responded after the hurricane struck Honduras on Halloween weekend, killing at least 9,000 and leaving thousands more homeless. In the Rogue Valley, Operation Shoebox volunteers organized donations of much-needed clothing. Other organizations with broader financing and private transportation have had better luck getting help to Honduras. Mercy Corps International has shipped about 100 tons of emergency food, clothes and medical supplies to Honduras, with the help of local groups, said Laura Guimond, senior program officer for the organization. Northwest Medical Teams has sent $3.7 million of the $4.5 million the group raised for Honduras. More than $35,000 of that was raised by Oregon schools, said Kevin Williamson of Northwest Medical Teams. Children who worked hard to help Hondurans shouldn't feel discouraged, said Lance Rosenau, a Lake Oswego dentist who became an organizer for Operation Shoebox in November, collecting more than 10,000 shoe boxes. "It would be nice if the shoe boxes were there, but they will get there," he said. "I don't want people to lose hope or think they made up those shoe boxes in vain." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA