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Kris Allen’s “American Idol” appearance on Thursday (February 25) was not just be a homecoming for the show’s reigning champ, but also an opportunity for the 24-year-old to contribute to a worthy cause: the ongoing relief efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

Allen traveled to the embattled island nation last week, and before he takes the “Idol” stage for the first time since his win last May, the singer spoke with MTV News about his experience in Haiti and what he hopes to accomplish during Thursday’s appearance.

“It was a weird trip, because you get over there — everyone’s seen the pictures and stuff and the videos — it’s really bad,” he said. “It’s a lot of destruction. A lot of people have been affected by it. But there’s a lot of stuff going on.”

Allen pointed to the relief efforts of organizations like the Salvation Army and the Red Cross, who have been working on the ground ever since a 7.0 quake nearly leveled the capital city of Port-au-Prince in January. During his visit, Allen stopped by an aid camp that opened the night of the earthquake and now is the temporary home for more than 3,300 Haitians, with more arriving every day. All these relief groups, the singer said, “have done so many amazing things for the Haitian people and gave that nation a lot of hope for the future.”

The idea for the trip to Haiti came from “Idol” creator Simon Fuller. As soon as Fuller made the suggestion, Allen came onboard. He ended up handing out food, breaking up fallen concrete with a sledgehammer and clearing rubble with his hands, all the while working side by side with the Haitian people. Allen’s last stop took him to a tent where mothers come to breastfeed their babies and care for their children.

During Thursday’s show, viewers will be asked to make online or text-message donations to the Idol Gives Back Foundation, with funds going to support the United Nations Foundation’s ongoing efforts in Haiti. “I wanted to go over there and help,” Allen said. “I felt like I did that in a little way. I think that me being on the show is going to be a bigger help than me going there with the little bit of manpower that I have.”

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Kris Allen may have thought he was prepared for the destruction that was waiting for him when he arrived in Haiti, but the American Idol winner has admitted to OK! that when he arrived in the country — which was devastated by an earthquake on Jan. 12 — he was shaken by what he saw.

“There were definitely shocking things,” he told OK! of his one-day trip with the UN Foundation.

“Buildings down all over the place, people living in tiny little tents that were blazing hot, with six or seven to a family,” he said. “It was a pretty rough experience for them.”

After seeing the destruction, Kris says he has a renewed drive to give back.

“When you see something like that, it definitely affects you and makes you happy for what you have, but also makes you want to do something to help those people. I think it’s just an innate human thing, like when you see people hurting, you just want to help them,” said Kris.

You can check out footage of Kris’s trip to Haiti below, and you’ll be able to see more film — plus a performance of “Let It Be” by Kris (which will be available on iTunes, with all of the proceeds benefiting Haiti relief) — on American Idol on Thursday, February 25 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed).

To learn more about the UN Foundation’s work in Haiti and how to donate, visit www.unfoundation.org/idol.

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As you may now, Kris recently spent some time helping out the victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. He’s done his part, and now he needs your help. Check out these two videos below to find out how to help the UN provide relief for the victims.

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