Everyday Systems

By now everyone has probably figured out how to send aid for hurricane relief efforts. But I thought it might be helpful to post this list anway, which appeared in the New York Times today. Remember that money is the most critical and portable way to send assistance. I know that both the Red Cross and AmeriCares are highly rated and efficient relief organizations.

Relief Organizations:

Charity Navigator: charitynavigator.org
Information on various charities and ways to donate to the relief effort.

Red Cross: 1-800-HELP-NOW or www.redcross.org

AmeriCares:americares.org

RoommateClick.com
Site offering a service for the New Orleans homeless, free of charge.


Episcopal Relief & Development: 1-800-334-7626 or www.er-d.org

United Methodist Committee on Relief: 1-800-554-8583 or gbgm-umc.org/umcor/emergency/hurricanes/2005

Salvation Army: 1-800-SAL-ARMY or www.salvationarmyusa.org

Catholic Charities: 1-800-919-9338 or www.catholiccharitiesusa.org

FEMA Charity tips: www.fema.gov/rrr/help2.shtm

National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster: www.nvoad.org

Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: www.la-spca.org

Operation Blessing: 1-800-436-6348 or www.ob.org

America's Second Harvest: 1-800-344-8070 or www.secondharvest.org

Adventist Community Services: 1-800-381-7171 or www.adventist.communityservices.org

Christian Disaster Response: 1-941-956-5183 or 1-941-551-9554 or www.cdresponse.org/cdrhome.html

Christian Reformed World Relief Committee: 1-800-848-5818 or www.crwrc.org

Church World Service: 1-800-297-1516 or www.churchworldservice.org

Convoy of Hope: 1-417-823-8998 or www.convoyofhope.org

Lutheran Disaster Response: 1-800-638-3522 or www.elca.org/disaster

Mennonite Disaster Service: 1-717-859-2210 or www.mds.mennonite.net

Nazarene Disaster Response: 1-888-256-5886 or www.nazarenedisasterresponse.org

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance: 1-800-872-3283 or www.pcusa.org/pda

Southern Baptist Convention - Disaster Relief: 1-800-462-8657, ext. 6440 or www.namb.net

The hurricane and flooding is all over the news in Australia. Its really quite unbelievable what has happened. Some of the looting especially for food and water is understandable, people have to eat and drink. Its sad to see all the babies and a man saying that his baby hasn't got any formula.
The looting of the gun stores is not understandable. Human beings need order when things are not so it can bring out the hero or the bad in someone. We heard that a 7 yr old was raped in the toilet of the superdome.
What exactly is Bush doing that's what the people in New Orleans seem to be asking??

Betsy, I am very moved by your extensive research and work on that post...
Thank you so much for your love and care!!!
May your life be blessed just as you are blessing others with your caring ways!!!!!

Hugs,
Deb

When you're done giving what you can to the poor people down there, consider giving a little to their poor, stranded pets:

http://hsus.org/
http://animalhelp.com/

It really gets me to hear about all the pets that were left behind because people thought they'd be back in a few days. People come first, naturally, but charity is a sphere in which seconds are appropriate.

Again, thanks Clicky.

Indeed, also if you work for a company, you ought to check to see if they will match donations. Many of them will (especially now), though it may depend on where you donate and they ususally require you have a recepit or some proof of donation.

Also there are a lot of local drives and stuff, usually with the money going to one of the bigger organizatoins like the Salvation Army or something. I have to say I'm pretty proud of my city now... there was a drive that the Salvation army and some radio stations did in one of the malls and they raised over $100,000 in two days. Not too shabby for a small-ish city, and that's just the Savlation Army, no telling how much people have given to other organizations doing the same thing.

I wish I had seen this post a long time ago. I live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and we are still going through the recovery down here. My guess is that Katrina is by now an annoying news story in the rest of the country but down here we are still plowing through. If you are somebody who donated your time and/or resources to help us I thank you wholeheartedly.

It's been almost two years and the hurricane is still the major topic of conversation on a daily basis. Thanks for helping us.

Kevin