How to help victims of the Haiti earthquake

"Like the end of the world."

These are the words on lips of Haitians today after being struck by one of the most ferocious forces of nature -- a 7.0 earthquake. It's the largest earthquake in recent history.

Already, several countries and non-profits have started to pull together aid efforts for Haiti, where the Associated Press estimates some 3 million people may be in need of help.

Americans who need information about family members in Haiti have been asked to call (888) 407-4747, a line set up by the State Department.

There are many ways to lend a hand, but be warned, many aid sites have been overloaded and were down when we tried to access them. Be patient!

Disaster Relief and Non-governmental Organizations:

• You can make a donation through the American Red Cross' International Response Fund, and it will be allocated specifically for Haiti relief efforts.
• Mercy Corps has a way for you to donate your money straight to their efforts in Haiti, and Unicef also has a donation site set up.
• The United Nations World Food Program has teams "already on the scene, mobilizing emergency food assistance to families." To support these efforts, you can make an emergency donation here.
• Operation Blessing International also has disaster relief teams on the way. A donation of $50 or more will bring emergency food, water, medicine and more to the quake victims.
• The Salvation Army is also sending personnel and supplies to assist in the relief effort, and needs of donations.
• Yele, an organization set up by musician Wyclef Jean - a native Haitian, is an additional option.

Faith-based Organizations:

• American Jewish World Service  is collecting donations for their"Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund," which will help "their network of grantees in Haiti to meet the urgent needs of the population based on real-time, on-the-ground assessments."
• Baptist Global Response, which coordinates the mercy efforts of the Southern Baptist Convention, is sending a team from Florida to help for their initial outreach. In addition to donations, the organization asks that concerned individuals join in focused prayer for Haiti's 9 million people.
• Compassion International, the world's largest Christian child development program, serves 64,000 sponsored children in Haiti...most near the earthquake zone. Their website allows donors to earmark contributions for Haiti.
• Samaritan's Purse, the international aid and development group headed by Rev. Franklin Graham, landed a medical supplies flight with teams of emergency medical workers Wednesday morning, and will begin pouring in additional aid as needs become clear.

The fastest way to donate may be by text. Text "Haiti" to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross relief efforts. Or text Yele to 501 501 to donate $5.

There are so many options available that it's hard to create accurate lists, but we want to point out a couple worthwhile efforts. Take a minute to check these out if you haven't had luck with the sites we mentioned:

• Nick Zantop, a blogger, photographer and globetrotter who says she grew up in the Caribbean, has pulled together a comprehensive list of possibilities on Facebook and her blog, ItsJustLight.com.
• MSNBC also has a nice list pulled together.

Thanks to readers, there are additional tips in the comments below.

Readers: Have you found a way to donate today? Do you know of a site we missed? Leave your helpful tips in the comments section.

(Posted by Glenna DeRoy)

source: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/kindness/post/2010/01/how-to-help-victims-of-the-haiti-earthquake/1