( CNN ) -- Aid is getting to Haiti but it 's not as simple as getting a direct flight to the quake-battered nation . CNN followed one aid container from the headquarters of ShelterBox in Cornwall , England , to Port-au-Prince , Haiti , to see the hurdles aid groups face . Minutes after the earthquake struck on January 12 , the ShelterBox crew sprang into action . The international disaster relief organization is the brainchild of Tom Henderson , who was recognized as a CNN Hero in 2008 . `` If you 've lost everything as they have in Haiti , it 's all about shelter , warmth , comfort and dignity , '' says Henderson . `` That 's what ShelterBox is . '' A ShelterBox container -- containing relief supplies including a 10-person tent , water and blankets -- is designed to be easily carried by two people and stackable for easy storage . To get to Haiti from Cornwall , the box went on four flights and one overland trip over five days before being distributed to a mother and her newborn baby . Once in the Dominican Republic -- Haiti 's neighbor -- there were delays because of security concerns and a national holiday that meant local help was limited . The ShelterBox was one of 720 boxes eventually loaded into a four truck convoy in Santa Domingo for a U.N.-escorted drive to Haiti . The drive from Santo Domingo to the Haiti border took about 11 hours because of poor roads and a puncture . Twelve ShelterBoxes are being used to build an emergency field hospital at the airport , said Mark Pearson who is in Haiti for the charity . Each ShelterBox contains individual survival equipment like water carriers , a tool kit and a children 's pack containing drawing books , crayons and pens . By February 1 , Shelterbox hopes to have more than 7,000 boxes in Haiti , housing up to 70,000 people . But Henderson acknowledges there is much more to be done . `` There are thousands of people dying every day . That 's what drives us forward . This is not a job for us . It 's a passion . '' Want to get involved ? Check out ShelterBox 's Web site and see how to help .
A ShelterBox aid box sent from England takes five days to reach Haiti . The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has said it is sending a total of $4.5 million in emergency relief supplies and medical equipment to the Caribbean nation after Hurricane Matthew hit on Friday. Box contents include tent , water , school kits and blankets .