Haiti Emergency Response

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Haiti — What You Can Do to Help
UCC Disaster Response Alerts and Updates - Haiti, Chile and others January 15, 2010 The United Church of Christ has launched an emergency appeal for aid to the residents of Haiti after the devastating earthquake earlier this week. The outpouring of compassion, concern and support of United Church of Christ members and friends has been amazing. Prayers and offers of personal service along with unprecedented on-line donations have poured in. Here are five suggestions from the UCC's Minister for Global Sharing of Resources, Susan Sanders, for ways you can help: PRAY. God is surely grieving and weeping with all those who have lost loved ones. As the body of Christ, we are called to reach out with help and prayers. Haiti Earthquake Relief Worship Resources have been posted to the United Church of Christ website, including a bulletin insert, a new hymn lyric and a prayer. DONATE. Obviously at this point, beyond prayers, money is what can be most helpful so please be very generous in responding. Haiti Earthquake Appeal - UCC secure online donation & information site Please Note: You may certainly give through your church, but the donation will reach those who need it much faster if you give to the UCC Haiti Earthquake Appeal, to One Great Hour of Sharing or to another similar group. Thank you for your generosity. Must Read: BEFORE You Collect Donated Goods One Great Hour of Sharing website: www.ucc.org/oghs ASSEMBLE KITS. Hygiene and Baby Kits are urgently needed for survivors in Haiti. This is one very concrete and "hands-on" thing that church groups can do. Church World Service has issued an urgent call for Gift of the Heart Kits. ADVOCATE. Our ecumenical partners are asking that we advocate to the US government for "temporary protected status" for undocumented Haitians now in the United States, since it would place severe burdens on them and the government of Haiti to send them back to Haiti at this point. VOLUNTEER. And, for those people who feel called to "go and help," please direct energies to Disaster Recovery Work Groups that can help with on-going rehabilitation work in New Orleans/the Gulf Coast, Florida, Iowa, etc. There may be time in the future to be helpful in Haiti, but this is not yet the time. Below is a link to a modified version of a resource used by Volunteer Florida. This quick one-pager explains why cash donations are better than canned goods and clothing and suggests questions to consider before heading off to volunteer in another country during a disaster. Thank you for all you are doing to reach out to our sisters and brothers in Haiti in concrete and helpful ways.
Must Read: BEFORE You Collect Donated Goods