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About Donations of Goods for Areas Affected by the Recent Earthquake and Resulting Tsunamis
Monday, December 27, 2004 —
If you are an individual who would like to make a donation of food or clothing, please understand, though your generosity is sincerely appreciated, the American Red Cross cannot accept this type of donation.
Unsolicited, spontaneous donations of goods and services from individuals and community groups, though well intentioned, have hidden costs and pose a number of complications for relief efforts. For these reasons, the Red Cross is unable to accept any large collections of items, such as used clothing, hygiene items, furniture, toys, blankets, and canned goods. Nor are we able to accept small, individual donations of these items.
Why does the Red Cross discourage donations of collected goods and individual items for disaster relief?
- Collections of items require valuable and scarce resources such as time, money, and personnel to sort, clean, and distribute them, which come at the expense of the emergency activities relief workers are attempting to perform. The Red Cross has neither the resources, nor the logistical set-up, to properly handle these types of donations, and therefore cannot accept them.
- In addition, because we have no way of knowing what spontaneous individual donations or unsolicited collections of items will consist of, we cannot ensure there will be enough of a particular item to distribute it equitably, or if the donated products will even be appropriate for the relief effort.
- Shipping donated goods is also costly and particularly difficult in the aftermath of a disaster, as inroads into disaster sites are often damaged or impassable, and easily clogged with shipments of non-priority items. The Red Cross makes every attempt to procure items locally to save money by minimizing transportation and storage costs. Local procurement also ensures that the items distributed to disaster victims are appropriate for their culture and diet.
- Where can donations of collected goods and individual items be most effective?
- Individual donations of goods and collections of items are put to their best possible use, and have the greatest impact economically, when they are donated to local charitable organizations within your own community. Donating locally eliminates transportation costs and ensures disaster workers are not overwhelmed with sorting unsolicited donations and are free to perform priority relief activities. Because these local agencies are not operating in the crisis environment that characterizes disaster relief, the charity will have the time sort, clean, and repair goods and identify how and where they can be most beneficial.
What is the best way I can support the relief efforts?
Monetary financial contributions allow us to support the greatest needs in the most efficient manner. Cash can be used to purchase items such as tents and blankets in the region, and eliminate the added costs involved in transporting goods. Cash also allows the purchase of culturally appropriate items in the country, and stimulates the devastated economy.
Additional Information on Donating Goods
Guidelines for Effective Giving in Support of Disaster Relief
Before beginning any sort of collection drive, it is important to first call a charitable agency and confirm that there is a need for the donation and that they are able to accept it. Several organizations active in disaster relief have published guidelines that offer practical advice on steps that should be taken prior to starting a collection drive or purchasing items to donate to disaster relief.
When Disaster Strikes...
Donations Are Needed
http://www.fema.gov/rrr/help2.shtm
Guide to Appropriate Giving
http://www.interaction.org/disaster/guide_giving.html
Financial Donations
You can help those affected by the floods and countless other crises around the world each year 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 those in need. Donate online or call toll free 1-800-HELP NOW (1-800-257-7575 for Spanish speakers) or you can mail in your gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.
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