Remarks on the Haiti Earthquake Disaster
Posted 01/15/10
All of us at MANNA FoodBank are heartbroken by the devastation in Haiti. Unfortunately, we hare unable to honor the many requests to help stage and ship donations of food and water. Our mission is strictly domestic in nature. Additionally, and more importantly, shipping the food, water, and clothing to Haiti, RIGHT NOW, is cost prohibitive. We encourage you to seek out reputable international aid organizations, like the American Red Cross, who are skilled at the acquisition, distribution and administration of disaster relief. Those folks are on the ground in Haiti and can use the donated money to buy the things that they need at a moment’s notice.
The most direct impact on Feeding America food banks will be the influx of Haitian refugees into the United States. The federal government is anticipating that as many as 45,000 dual-citizenship individuals could enter the United States. The largest Haitian populations in the United States are in Florida, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia and Atlanta. All of these areas are likely to see an influx of refugees seeking support from friends and family, and Florida and New Jersey are expected to be the areas of the most significant migration.
Where to Direct Others Who Want to Help
The response community is stressing that financial donations are strongly preferred to commodity contributions. If members of your community or other supporters ask your food bank for recommendations on supporting the relief effort in Haiti:
Direct them to the websites of NVOAD (ww.nvoad.org), InterAction (www.interaction.org) or the Center for International Disaster Information (www.cidi.org). These websites provide guidance on active organizations that are seeking support from the public.
The Red Cross is also accepting donations via text message to support their efforts in Haiti. Individuals can text “HAITI” to “90999” and a donation of $10 will be provided to the Red Cross (a $10 charge will appear on the sender’s phone bill).
Please also encourage your community to be wary of any email or Internet solicitations for support. Before making an online organization via an unfamiliar website, individuals should consult the FBI website at http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel10/earthquake011310.htm.
- We think it’s important to point out that supplies also can be purchased more cheaply wholesale — and tax free — by professional relief organization.
- Rally the workplace, church, club, neighborhood to donate online — keeping track of what is raised to celebrate local successes in reaching out to help.
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