05/22/2008

Associated Press

Portland-based Mercy Corps will send 17 pallets of emergency supplies to help survivors in China's earthquake and Myanmar's cyclone.

The pallets will be loaded onto a truck in Portland to fly out of Seattle Thursday.

Mercy Corps staff in Bangkok, including a Portland-based aid worker, will manage distribution of the supplies, valued at $300,000.

The shipment includes thousands of pairs of work gloves, rubber boots and solar-powered flashlights.

It also includes soccer balls donated by Nike to help Chinese children regain a sense of normal life.