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Matt Damon, Wyclef Jean Distribute Supplies In Haiti

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 14, 2008

Matt Damon stayed calm and joked around while he helped with a chaotic food distribution Saturday in western Haiti, where hundreds of people remain homeless and hungry.

He arrived in the town of Cabaret with Haitian-born singer Wyclef Jean to distribute rice, beans and oil to residents of a town that saw 60 people die in flash floods when Hurricane Ike grazed Haiti last week.

Hundreds of Haitians mobbed their SUV, raising their hands in the air and yelling, "Wyclef!"

About 20 people from Jean's Yele Haiti charity formed a barrier around the back of a truck, stuck in the mud, that was carrying 300 bags of food. Damon tossed the bags to Jean, who placed them on the heads of women as they approached one by one.

The two celebrities then walked to a nearby church where an estimated 600 people were sheltered. They knelt to talk to an emaciated, elderly man lying on the muddy floor before they began serving food. Damon poured red vegetable sauce over plates of rice that Jean handed out.

Obama Withdraws From 'Saturday Night Live' Skit
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama asked his supporters Saturday to help with recovery from Hurricane Ike and canceled his plans to crack jokes on "Saturday Night Live" in the aftermath of the storm.

Obama had been slated to appear in a skit on the NBC show's season premiere, hosted by Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps. Campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Obama decided it was no longer appropriate because of the devastation in Texas.

Today's Birthdays

Actor Sam Neill is 61. Actor Dan Cortese is 40. Rapper Nas is 35. Singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse is 25.

Source: The Associated Press

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