HELSTON , England ( CNN ) -- A huge cyclone struck Myanmar in May 2008 . It was the largest recorded disaster in that country , killing more than 130,000 people and leaving millions homeless . Since 2001 , Tom Henderson 's organization , ShelterBox , has supplied aid to more than 600,000 people . `` We were one of the first aid agencies into the country , delivering our ShelterBoxes , '' says Tom Henderson , whose relief package and organization of the same name has aided more than 600,000 victims of disasters of all scales worldwide since 2001 . Designed to help an extended family survive for a minimum of six months , the lightweight , weatherproof box contains items such as a 10-person tent , blankets , basic tools , water-purification tablets and containers , a multi-fuel or wood-burning stove , mosquito nets and other items tailored to the particular region in crisis . The `` ShelterBox is designed to be small enough so two people can carry it -- but it has to be large enough to get equipment in for 10 people , '' Henderson explains . `` It 's a simple package of aid delivered to the most needy people in the shortest amount of time . '' The ex-Royal Navy search-and-rescue diver says the idea behind the ShelterBox came to him `` literally in a heartbeat '' while watching the news in 1999 . Henderson was struck by the footage he saw of relief workers dropping food on the ground to victims of a disaster . `` I decided there and then that I would try to make a difference in a more sensible and dignified way , '' he recalls . `` I went to my study and I got a piece of paper out , and I wrote down 'shelter , ' 'warm , ' 'comfort , ' and 'dignity . ' And that 's where it started . '' Though Henderson says people thought he was crazy , he searched around the world for the products he knew would work . In 2000 , he brought his idea to the local Helston-Lizard Rotary Club , where members adopted the cause . In January 2001 , the first 143 ShelterBoxes were flown to earthquake-ravaged Gujarat , India . Since then , the ShelterBox organization has responded to more than 70 disasters in 46 countries . `` If people have lost everything why should they lose their dignity as well ? '' asks Henderson . `` So we were very keen , as well as delivering aid , to give people back their dignity , put them back in control . '' Watch how ShelterBox helps victims of disasters around the world » . The secret of its success is two-fold , explains Henderson . ShelterBox is nonpolitical , accepting no funding from government agencies , and is a worldwide network with communication hubs near every potential disaster site via Rotary International . This allows ShelterBox to respond within 72 hours of a disaster anywhere in the world , subject to customs and local political barriers . According to ShelterBox , each box costs £490 in the United Kingdom and $ 1,000 in the United States , including all materials , packing , storage and distribution to recipients around the world . Donations from the British public and money raised from Rotary Clubs worldwide help fund the boxes . Watch Henderson reveal the items in a typical ShelterBox » . `` Nobody can buy our boxes , they are only available for free , '' says Henderson . Although Henderson does not travel to drop off boxes or choose where they go , he says he remains motivated by the thought of the millions of people that need help every day , and that if ShelterBox stops delivering aid , people might not survive . Watch Henderson tell the story of a mother and her baby in a ShelterBox » . `` The goal for me was these people , '' he says . `` I had pictures in my mind 's eye ... [ like ] children dying in the snow after a disaster . We want this to last for years to come , not just to get them through this disaster , [ but ] as a springboard for moving forward . '' Stories that Henderson hears from the field remind him that ShelterBox is doing just that . Recently , a woman in Kenya gave birth to a baby girl in a ShelterBox tent . `` The ShelterBox became a crib for the baby . And the blankets became blankets for the baby , '' says Henderson . `` It 's a huge feeling of pride and satisfaction when these sorts of things happen . ''
John Henderson 's organization , ShelterBox , helps disaster victims worldwide . It offers free ShelterBoxes , with items such as blankets , tools and tents . The organization has helped more than 500 victims of disasters since inception .