Photo by Alex McVeigh Staff Sgt. Sean Dowdy (left) and Spc. Ricardo Pineda, both of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, load up canned food, toiletries and bottled water from their collection point at the JBM-HH Commissary.

Staff Sgt. Sean Dowdy of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Garrison decided to try and collect food and clothing for Haiti by placing collection baskets at the Commissary, Shoppette and Chapel, where community members could donate.

‘‘I haven’t been to Iraq or Afghanistan, so I’m just trying to do what I can to help here on the home front,” Dowdy said.

A few days after the quake that killed thousands, Dowdy placed a large four by four box at the front of the Commissary, several bins at the shoppette and asked the chaplains to collect donations during religious services.

Dowdy jump-started the donations by placing a few cans in each container after he dropped it off. He collected non-perishable food items, canned goods, bottled water, toiletries and candy for the children of Haiti.

‘‘Whenever I went to check on the boxes, I would try and talk to a few people at the location, to let them know what I was doing, and they were good about helping out,” Dowdy said.

Dowdy and several others also donated clothes to the people of Haiti; however, there is a screening process for such items. Food items were the top priority for the drive.

On Wednesday, Dowdy collected all the goods and took them to a warehouse in Baltimore, Md., where they were shipped for free down to the island nation. Dowdy found an Arlington-based charity who helped set him up with the warehouse.

Dowdy’s efforts inspired people from all around the community, whether it be servicemembers, civilians or other base employees.

‘‘The people down there need so much, including fresh water,” said Chin Yupa, who works at the Commissary and donated two cases of bottled water. ‘‘I know it’s not much, but I think every little bit helps.”