Earthquake help- send direct, do not text

[Irulan]

I know the whole "text and donate" thing has gone viral but according the the website mGive.com ( the organization that handles the distribution of the texted donations) it may take up to 90 days for the money to get to where it's needed. I was unable to find a charity rating on mGive foundation but surely they'll have administrative costs too.

"The funds are collected from each carrier by the The mGive Foundation (TMF) and then sent to the appropriate charity in approximately 90 days." (from www.mgive.com/Learn_More.aspx)

I found the link to this tidbit of information on the Mercy Corps website this morning.

So, if you inclined to make a donation, please make your donation directly to the charity of your choice. The following all have A ratings from charitywatch.org

Red Cross
Mercy Corps
Doctors Without Borders

[SadieKate]

And don't forget to check if your employer gives matching contributions. You'll need a receipt for that.

[sundial]

Thanks Irulan for posting the info.

[ehirsch83]

My work deals with Haiti on a daily basis(we are a small airline in south florida and we fly to the outer island of the bahamas, Haiti, and GTMO), and Haiti makes up over 50% of our business, so this is all very close to me right now.

I would also like to suggest Food for The Poor and also For Haiti, With Love.

They are both great and have been in Haiti for decades, they know where to distribute the supplies and have people set up down there to do just so. Food For The Poor is my 1st choice for donations.

Also, if you go to the bottom of this blog post you will see an email I sent out. It got picked up and posted on this blog for The New Times.

read all the way at the bottom....

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pu...ction.php#more

[Irulan]

Emily everything I have heard or read through the last few big disasters ( the tsumani, Katrina et) says to give money as the cost of shipping things, plus the issue of getting the RIGHT things, is really an issue. I see you've got a list but care to clarify on this? I have read so many horror stories of well intentioned items that were not able to be used for any number of reasons.

I am certainly not going to send cases of food from Washington state as it's just not cost effective.

[ehirsch83]

they need food, but it has to be food that can be stored but also easily accessible. Hence, pop top cans. No need for a can opener. DO NOT send anything that needs a can opener or water to be edible.(since water is very scarce)

Medical items are needed- from OTC child and adult medications to alcohol wipes, neosporin, gauze, band aids, etc.

toiletries(soap,etc.)

Feminine products- sanitary napkins. Females in Haiti do not use Tampons, so do not send them!

BLANKETS!!

water and water purification tablets. Water is the big thing, in Port water is very scarce now, in the country- it comes from wells. The other thing is, the water isn't drinkable in Port right now, so purification tablets would be a big help for those in Port so they could drink the water that is there.

Bottled water!! it is purified and helps with the scarcity of water.

Diapers
infant wipes
infant formula

boxed milk

batteries

Those are some of the main things that are needed.
Notice, clothes are not on the list- that is not a necessity right now-it is in the 70s right now, what is needed is medical supplies,food,water, toiletries and infant supplies