For the latest information on the rescue and recovery effort in Haiti tune to CJOB.
A special 3-hour edition of CHARLES ADLER aired Monday January 18th from 1-4PM across the Corus Radio Network raising awareness and funds to support the RED CROSS relief effort in Haiti.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper joined Charles to talk about the role Canadians have played in giving support to the people of Haiti.
The following is a list of reputable aid organizations currently seeking cash donations for relief efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Donations can be made at the web pages or by calling the appropriate phone numbers.
Canadian Red Cross:
http://www.redcross.ca/manitoba, or call toll free 1-800-418-1111, visit any Red Cross office.
This is the last week in which if you donate to the Red Cross, the Federal government will match the donation.
• Mobile Bell customers can text the word Haiti to 45678. A $5.00 donation will be made on your behalf and appear on your cell phone bill.
For information on family members who may be in Haiti, you are encouraged to call the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs at: 1-800-387-3124.
Mennonite Central Committee:
261-6381 or toll free 1-888-622-6337
MCC: 134 Plaza Drive, Winnipeg, MB R3T 5K9
http://mcc.org
In addition to donations of money, the MCC is asking the public for help in collection 20,000 relief kits, 10,000 heavy comforters, and 10,000 sheets to be sent to Haitian earthquake survivors. Relief kits include personal hygiene supplies, laundry soap, towels and bandages. People who donate kits are asked to provide complete kits with only the specific items on the list of relief kit supplies that can be found on the above website. The Kits can be packed in a box or bag and delivered to any of the drop-off locations in Manitoba by February 28th. The locations are found here:
http://mcc.org/kits/dropofflocations
This is the last week in which if you donate to the Red Cross, the Federal government will match the donation.
In addition to donating to the Canadian Red Cross online at www.redcross.ca/helpnow, through our 24 hour donation line at 1-800-418-1111 or through our local offices in Winnipeg and Brandon, the following banks will accept donations in support of the Canadian Red Cross "Haiti Earthquake" appeal from Friday, January 15th, 2010 to Monday, February 15th, 2010:
· BMO Financial Group
· Canadian Western Bank
· CIBC
· HSBC Bank Canada
· Laurentian Bank of Canada
· National Bank Financial Group
· RBC
· Scotiabank
· TD Canada Trust
In addition to banks, credit unions are also getting on board. La Caisse Populaire de St. Boniface Ltee is accepting donations at their four branches until February 12th. As well, credit unions in Manitoba that are affiliated with Credit Union Central of Manitoba (CUCM) are also accepting donations until February 12th.
Donations are also being accepted at Manitoba Liquor Marts, Canada Safeway, Rona, and Wal-Mart stores.
B'nai Brith Canada's Emergency Disaster Fund: 1-204-487-9623
United Church of Canada: Individuals are invited to contribute to the United Church's Haiti Appeal either through their local congregation or directly to The United Church of Canada's national office, 3250 Bloor St. West, Suite 300, Toronto, ON M8X 2Y4. Cheques should be made payable to The United Church of Canada and marked "Haiti Appeal." Online donations can be made at
http://www.united-church.ca. Choose "Emergency Response" and specify "Haiti Appeal."
ShelterBox: Our response to the Haiti earthquake will be the biggest deployment in ShelterBox's history. We are not first responders (altough we had our team on the ground in Haiti within 24 hours). We are second responders. What we are the best at is providing shelter. We have over 3,300 boxes of tents, blankets and cooking equipment on the way there now - that's 33,000 people we will provide shelter - warmth - comfort and a bit of dignity to. Many, many more are needed. Donations for our Haiti response can be made online at
http://www.shelterbox.ca
or send donations to THE HUMANITARIAN COALITION, PO Box 65035, Ottawa, ON, K2G 5Y3
Quebec Command of The Royal Canadian Legion has started a fund to help earthquake-stricken Haiti. Branches of the Legion can make donations from their general funds to Quebec Command which has set up a special bank account to handle the money. Cheques should be made out to Quebec Provincial Command (Haiti) and sent to their offices at 1000 St-Antoine Street W., No. 410. Montreal, QC, H3C 3R7. The call has gone out to all legion branches to try and help this nation in its time of dire need. Donations will be sent by Quebec Command to the Red Cross, a trusted humanitarian organization that is already involved in the relief effort
The United Firefighters of Winnipeg and the Fire Department are collecting monetary donations that can be dropped off at Winnipeg firehalls. Cheques should be made out to the Canadian Red Cross Haitian relief effort.
You can donate to
"God's Little Angels" orphanage in Haiti (as heard on CJOB) through the agency's website
http://glahaiti.org/
CanadaHelps is a registered charity that encourages giving by making it easy for donors to find a legitimate charity working on the Haitian relief effort from the 85,000 registered Canadian charities and make a donation online. This national online resource makes giving to your favourite charity or charities simple and secure with tools for donating via credit card, Interac online, a CanadaHelps gift card or even stocks and mutual funds. Donors can split a donation between several charities and stay organized with intuitive features and online tax receipts. CanadaHelps sustains operations through a nominal 3 per cent transaction charge which covers all credit card fees and IT infrastructure costs. CanadaHelps also relies on philanthropic support from Canadian corporations, charitable foundations and other generous donors. Please visit
http://www.canadahelps.org
The CRA is reminding Canadians who plan to give to a registered charity to go to:
http://www.cra.gc.ca/donors or call 1-800-267-2384 for tips on how to be an informed donor.
Calls for donations are also prevalent on social networking services Twitterand Facebook.
Advice for Manitobans Seeking Loved Ones in Haiti
The ICRC has launched a Family Links Website aimed at enabling persons in Haiti and abroad to register the names of relatives with whom they are striving to restore contact. Persons seeking news from their loved ones can therefore register the names of the missing persons directly on the site at:
www.icrc.org/familylinks.
If persons seeking to restore contact with loved ones don’t have access to a computer, need help registering online or are having difficulty navigating
www.icrc.org/familylinks , they should contact Red Cross Restoring Family Links in Manitoba at 982-7340 for assistance.
For persons seeking loved ones, Restoring Family Links personnel recommend determining what phone line is most likely to receive a call from missing loved ones in Haiti, and encourage friends and family to stay off that line as much as possible. The Haitian Red Cross is working hard to enable local Haitians to call their family and friends abroad to let them know they are alive. However, phone service in Haiti is very limited right now, and persons seeking loved ones are asked to be patient. Contact could take time to establish. Persons seeking loved ones should check
www.icrc.org/familylinks on a daily basis and stay near their phone as much as possible.
All inquiries regarding Canadian citizens in Haiti should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs at 1-800-387-3124.