I've been watching the television alot today regarding the devastation in Thailand. If you are able to help out at all, here are some websites. I copied them from a teacher's website I frequent...I hope that's ok.


Canadian Address
http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=000043&tid=001

American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html

By Ginny~moderator on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 12:12 am:

Absolutely we can make a difference, and this is the best way right now to do so. Thanks for posting this, Paula.

From what I have heard and read, and from what little I know, the greatest need right now is for specific kinds of help that are best served by sending money to orgnizations like the Red Cross who have experience in dealing with mass disasters. The provision of such basic needs as clean, safe water, food, medical care, inoculations against the various diseases which will spring up and can be as devastating in terms of loss of life as the actual tsunamis, is most critical. These things take money to support the people who are trained to do the work and to provide the supplies.

If you want a list of other organizations, here is a link to a list published in today's Philadelphia Inquirer:
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/10521295.htm

or, if you are a member of a congregation, your own religious body almost certainly has an overseas relief program - I know my United Methodist Church does - and I suspect that most churches and other faith communities will be taking up special collections the next few weekends.

What is NOT needed right now is the donation of any kinds of goods - no clothes, foods, or other items. Such donations take a lot of time to manage and package, and funds to ship. It is much better to simply give money to organizations experienced in stretching your dollars to the greatest extent and putting them to the best immediate use.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 12:28 am:

Ginny is right. Donations of items (food/clothing/ BLOOD) are still needed in your personal community. The donations in at our local Red Cross and state wide food banks were so low this year they were unable to help as many people as in the past. We have had three major fires in our surrounding communities this past month on top of the families they adopt for Christmas and the Red Cross had to run adds asking for assistance in helping these families.

In the case of the devastation in Thailand, we need to send a monetary donation... Things like this are so tragic and they make your day to day struggles a little less of a burden... Every dollar counts. Just think about how much money we could donate if everyone in the US donated something as simple as a quarter... A lot of people don't donate because they think they can't afford to help because the can't send a BIG check. But even a dollar can make a difference...

By Paulas on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 12:35 am:

I think the website will take donations as little as $5 online. Can you image the difference us here at MomsView could make if we each sent in just $5!

By Pamt on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 12:56 am:

We are giving through our denomination where 100% of the funds received are going directly to relief, not administration. I would assume the same would be the case for the Red Cross as well. And yes...every little bit counts.

By Ginny~moderator on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 05:07 am:

Fact is, Pam, somewhere along the line even non-profits have to spend some money on administration. I worked for a religiously oriented non-profit, and I know. But, I think you are right that funds donated for a specific purpose, such as relief for this enormous tragedy, will go entirely to that purpose, and money for administrative support will come from some other source - in the case of a denominational organization such as yours or the Methodist Committee on Overseas Relief, from the regular contributions made to that organization or to the oversight organization by the churches within the denomination. As for the Red Cross, I assume it will be much the same - money donated for this specific purpose will be used to support the people working in the area and for supplies. And don't forget, every person who will be working there has to be transported and housed and fed.

Actually, most of my money will go through the special collections taken by my church, but I think I will also send some money to Doctors Without Borders because I believe that disease prevention and control is going to be THE major issue after clean water and food.

In the long term, one of the major effects of this tragedy will be the huge, huge number of orphans who will need to be housed, fed, and cared for.

By Ilovetom on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 08:59 am:

Just be careful with the Red Cross. They asked for money on tv for us during Ivan, but never showed their faces in our town.

The Salvation Army was here 24/7.

By Trisa on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 10:12 am:

Go to networkforgood.com
you must type in a little box what you
want your donation to go for. I just typed in
tsunami disaster.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 02:14 am:

Pat, The Red Cross might not have been in your neighborhood or your town but I am sure they were down there some where. In the case of mass destruction covering a large area they usually divide the areas between the organizations that come in to help. So some area's might have had missionaries or an Army Reserves unit (etc.) in their area helping and they may have never seen the Red Cross or the Salvation Army period.. Why would they send in the same donations from several organizations into one area??? Doesn't it make more since that they would divide off into specific area's so they can give more care to more people rather than more quantity to one area?? They have to do what they have to do to help as many as they can and a person that survives something like that should be thankful that people came at all. Many countries suffer tragic situations daily and they go unnoticed. I think we take way to much for granted and we are quick to complain and pass judgment for efforts that we are self aren't even willing to make.

So that said, the Red Cross is a wonderful long standing organization. They need financial support to be able to supply the help that is needed Nation wide, Country wide, State wide and Nationally..... If they have no funds coming in they surly can't supply anyone's needs..

When you are picking and organization to donate through please make sure it is a legitimate organization. I am sure little fly by night organizations will pop up trying to make fast money off of well intending people. It always happens in times like this...

By Paulas on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 02:18 am:

We had a big dump of snow in our area yesterday. It was heartwarming that one snow removal company decided to donate their time for a donation to the disaster. This is a big deal since this is how they earn their living and you just never know how many snow storms we will have in a year. This could be our last..highly unlikely..but you never know and they gave up that potential income to help out.

By Ginny~moderator on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 06:41 am:

I agree with Bobbie to some extent. I am not overly fond of the Red Cross, particularly the way they handle the blood bank business (and it is a business).

But, for a disaster like this one, they have the training, the expertise, the connections and the organization to get on the ground early, know what needs doing and have the people and supplies necessary to do it, and the international connections to be able to successfully work cooperatively with other organizations and nations. For something like this, the Red Cross is one of the best organizations to support. However, if you prefer, most of the major religious organizations have international relief committees with the same access to experience, personnel, and supplies, and pretty much the same ability to work cooperatively with organizations from other nations without problems.

By Unschoolmom on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 07:49 am:

There's also Unicef, Oxfam, Christian Children's fund, Mennonite Central Committee, Medicine Sans Frontiers (Doctors without borders) and World Vision.

By Ilovetom on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 08:30 am:

Bobbie, okay maybe. I won't argue. I live in *the poorest county* in Alabama. I just remember that we had very needy people during that time, and they were not here.

Happy New Year.

By Mrsheidi on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 - 04:57 pm:

BUMP!!! They still need help if you haven't already given!!