Good Morning, Happy Friday- and Happy First Day of Fall, everyone! While I am undoubtedly thrilled that my favorite time of year is *officially* underway and am excited for all the seasonal activities that come with it- I understand that these past couple of weeks haven’t exactly been joyous for others in different parts of the world, and wanted to offer some suggestions for those- like me, who is beyond grateful to be somewhere safe – and who may be feeling helpless during this frightening and horrifying string of non-stop global/weather-related disasters and don’t want to just sit back and do nothing.
As most of you know, Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma left parts of Texas and Florida underwater and millions of people without power in recent weeks- and in the past couple of days we saw a 7.1 magnitude earthquake strike near Mexico City and a category 5 hurricane batter Puerto Rico. While the frantic search to find survivors and restore power sources continue- I know that it can be overwhelming to want to help as much as possible- especially if you live far away from the affected areas and aren’t sure where to start.
The most predominant and well-known relief comes from The Red Cross and UNICEF, of course- and I don’t want to knock any of their hard workers who are truly trying their best to accommodate and assist so many people in such vast areas of destruction- but it’s well-documented that both of these organizations can’t always be relied upon to get the donated funds where they need to be in a timely fashion.
For that reason, should anyone be weary but don’t know where else to turn- I’ve found a handful of non-profit agencies who are working tirelessly ’round-the-clock to help out. If you’re looking for something to put some money into- these are great options.
EARTHQUAKE RELIEF:
- GlobalGiving – Mexico Earthquake Relief
- Project Paz Mexico Earthquake Relief – This group is getting supplies where they can as quickly as they can.
- Topos México – Founded after the 1985 earthquake that left over 10,000 people dead, this group is leading a search and rescue team in the affected areas near Mexico City to find as many survivors as they can.
- Save The Children – Mexico – Focused on finding safe homes/shelters for children who have been displaced in the earthquake.
HURRICANE RELIEF:
- GlobalGiving – Hurricane Relief (Maria + Irma)
- GlobalGiving – Hurricane Relief (Harvey)
- OneBlood – If you can’t donate money and won’t faint at the sight of a needle- then donating blood is always incredibly helpful after global/weather disasters. You can save lives!
- ConPRmetidos (Puerto Ric0-based) – Dedicated to re-building and providing relief to devastated communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.
- Puerto Ricans in Action – A Los Angeles-based Puerto Rican community looking to raise funds to distribute among non-profit organizations assisting those affected by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.
Those are just a few to get started- but there’s a lot more out there!
If you know of any other non-profit organizations who are helping with the ongoing disaster reliefs- please feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly to share! The more help- the better.
Hang in there, everyone- and enjoy your weekend.
xx
– Ashley –
Blondie Birdie 