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“We’ve seen an outpouring from concerned family members, groups and individuals,” American Red Cross Mid-Florida Region Chief Executive Officer Joel Hass said in a statement. “The best way for us to provide assistance is to collect monetary donations to the Red Cross because that will allow us to directly purchase the supplies that are needed immediately in Haiti. Your donation will ensure that families do not go hungry, that they have enough water to drink, and that they can get the emergency supplies to begin cleaning up their homes and their communities.”

Even with all the money raised to date for Haiti relief, “that is a drop in the ocean” for what will be needed overall, Bowden said.

“This disaster is ongoing,” she said, noting the lack of infrastructure and hospitals in Haiti following the earthquake. “This is not just donate once. The need is ongoing for donations.”

The American Red Cross reports that companies of various sizes and representing industries across the United States have taken action to support Haiti by donating millions of dollars to the American Red Cross and by encouraging their customers and employees to follow suit.

“The generous contributions and support of our corporate partners are critical to the ability of the American Red Cross to provide help and hope for the people of Haiti during their time of need,” Jeffrey Towers, chief development officer of the American Red Cross, said in a statement. “We are rushing supplies and disaster-management staff to Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake, and are very grateful the support of these companies for our humanitarian mission.”

Through the help of these companies and the American public, relief materials are being delivered to Haiti. Red Cross workers from around the world, as well as volunteers based in Haiti, are addressing needs and mobilizing a massive response operation in the region.

The Red Cross said it is providing a wide range of help and support in the form of food, water, relief supplies, field hospitals, emotional support, sanitation facilities and family-linking services for the people of Haiti. The American Red Cross will provide supplies for temporary shelters in Haiti. Kits, containing tarps, rope and tools, as well as tents and blankets, will be made available.

Donations of more than $1 million were made by numerous organizations and foundations in support of Haiti emergency relief and recovery efforts.

Additionally, more than 100 companies have launched employee giving campaigns in coordination with the Red Cross.

A number of companies provided an opportunity for their customers and the public to support Red Cross relief efforts. Collectively, they have created more than 35,000 secure locations in retail stores and banks where people can make financial donations, according to the Red Cross.

Among those companies are Bank of America, Burger King, Lowe’s, Panera Bread, Publix, Rite Aid, Staples, Starbucks, Walgreens and Wal-Mart.

Locations are updated daily at www.redcross.org/givehere.

How to contribute to the American Red Cross

People can help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.

Donations to the International Response Fund can be made by phone at 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or online at www.redcross.org.

Mobile donors can text “ Haiti ” to 90999 to make a $10 contribution.

Source: American Red Cross

FBI issues warning on scams

The FBI has issued a warning reminding Internet users who receive appeals to donate money in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti to apply a critical eye and do their due diligence before responding to those requests.

Past tragedies and natural disasters have prompted individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organization and/or a good cause.

Therefore, before making a donation of any kind, consumers should adhere to certain guidelines, including:

Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming e-mails, including clicking links contained within those messages.

Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social-networking sites.

Verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations by using various Internet-based resources that may assist in confirming the group’s existence and its nonprofit status, rather than following a purported link to the site.

Be cautious of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files because the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.

Make contributions directly to known organizations, rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf, to ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes.

Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions. Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.

Anyone who has received an e-mail referencing the above information or anyone who may have been a victim of this or a similar incident should notify the Internet Crime Compliance Center at www.ic3.gov.

Source: FBI

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