The Blog: ministry, music, media

How to Help in Haiti posted on January 21, 2010

If you would like to donate to relief funds that help the people in Haiti recover from the earthquake that nearly leveled the island, check out some of the efforts below that I found in the Huffington Post. Add to below, the Red Cross, and UMCOR.

•Music For Relief is offering a compilation of unreleased music, available for free download on MusicForRelief.org. The site encourages donations, which will be divided equally among the United Nations Foundation, Habitat For Humanity, and Dave Matthews Band’s BAMA Works Haitian relief program.

•National Nurses United already has 10,000 nurses volunteering to go to Haiti, but they need to raise money to send them there. Every dollar donated to NNU will be spent directly on sending a professional nurse to Haiti.

•Artists For Peace and Justice is a relatively new organization with an advisory board of prominent celebrity activists, including Maria Bello, Madeleine Stowe, Charlize Theron, Oliver Stone and Josh Brolin. Founded by filmmaker Paul Haggis, the group originally sought to help build functional schools in impoverished regions in Haiti. Since the earthquake, they’ve directed all of their funds to recovery efforts, with a focus on helping to rebuild schools, hospitals and orphanages.

•K.I.D.S., or Kids In Distressed Situations, is delivering clothes, diapers, and water and is asking for cash donations as well as product gifts. To inquire about necessary items you can give, contact K.I.D.S. president Janice Weinman at 212-279-5493 x207.

•Healing The Children has firm commitments from numerous pediatric hospitals throughout the U.S. to provide medical care for over 50 children injured in the Haiti earthquake. They will organize and navigate the medical system for the children and provide a host family to offer the children the love and security they need during their treatment. Donate online.

We might not all be able to donate a great deal of money to relief efforts - but we can all pray that grace will be made known in the rubble. If you have the time you might also check with your local faith community or Red Cross and see how to donate some of your time to help.
With blessings for the common good,
Pastor Robin