In light of recent disasters happening around the world, the public and our gracious donors want to help and may be contacting you to contribute in some way. I know most of you are familiar with these points below, but I'm passing this along as a reminder to have at your finger-tips -- or to pass along to any new staff/volunteers that may interface with the public (either by phone or in person). This information remains the same for every disaster...
=========================================================
How the public can help:
The best way the public can offer practical help is by making a financial gift that can be used to buy the supplies most necessary for survival in the disaster's aftermath.
ONLINE:
www.salvationarmyUSA.orgPHONE: 1-800-Sal-Army (1-800-725-2769)
MAIL:
The Salvation Army
PO Box 80066
Prescott, AZ. 86304-8066
Designate the name of the disaster on check or money order. (e.g., "Hurricane Earl Relief" or "Pakistan Flood Relief" or "Haiti Earthquake Relief," etc.)
Be sure to designate all donations toward a specific relief effort (e.g., "Haiti Earthquake Relief"). And remind the individuals that 100% of all donations made to the Salvation Army Hurricane Disaster Relief fund will go to relief efforts in those areas that the individual specified with the donation.
Donation of GoodsThe Salvation Army does not accept donations of material goods to assist victims of disasters based at a great distance from your local community. Introducing too much in the way of material donations (e.g., clothing, food, furniture, etc) requires significantly increased logistical considerations. The collection, sorting, cleaning, packaging, shipping and distribution of clothing, food, water, or other household goods is not cost-effective and is impractical in some disaster zones where air travel has been suspended and/or many of the roads have been blocked by disaster damage.
However, The Salvation Army will certainly accept donations of clothing, food, or other items at any time, but can only use them to benefit local programs, not national or worldwide disaster relief. We appreciate your understanding.
To donate material goods to benefit a local program or local emergency aid effort, call 1-800-SA-Truck or visit
www.SATruck.org Volunteer to help during a disaster:Depending on the location of the disaster, The Salvation Army may call upon volunteers to assist with relief efforts. All volunteers recruited by The Salvation Army MUST be trained and certified as part of The Salvation Army's Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) program. In most cases, volunteers must be willing to provide own transportation to/near the disaster location and should have some sort of expertise that is in need at that time (e.g., health care professionals, heavy equipment operators, etc). EDS volunteers are also needed when disaster strikes in your local community. To see if you qualify to become an EDS volunteer, or to learn more about upcoming EDS training workshops offered by The Salvation Army, visit
http://disaster.salvationarmyusa.org.
Posts
