Sinise donates school supplies to Haiti

DORAL, Fla., June 1 (UPI) -- U.S. actor Gary Sinise, co-founder of Operation International Children, said he was donating 2,560 school supply kits to children in Haiti.

Speaking at the U.S. Southern Command in Doral, Fla., Sinise said the supplies help children in ravaged situations regain a sense of normalcy and security by providing them with tools to learn, The Miami Herald reported Tuesday.

Vice Adm. Joseph Kernan, military deputy commander of U.S. Southern Command in Doral, said he welcomed the chance for the military to partner with a non-profit to deliver humanitarian aid in Haiti.

"We obviously savor that opportunity," he said.

Sinise, star of the CBS series "CSI: NY," said witnessing four children share one pencil at a makeshift school in Iraq while he was on a USO tour in 2003 gave him the idea about helping children in similar circumstances.

"I was able to see this wonderful interaction between U.S. troops and kids," Sinise said Tuesday. "I came home wanting to help."

Sinise has donated hundreds of thousands of school supply kits through Operation International Children, the non-profit he founded with author Laura Hillenbrand in 2004 to help children in troubled places around the globe.

The actor said the supplies arrived Tuesday in Haiti, still recovering from last year's monster earthquake, and had to clear customs before distribution.