SEND US YOUR TAMPONS!!
 

GOOD, NOW THAT I HAVE EVERYONE'S ATTENTION,

Just want to ask if anyone would like to help with the HAITIAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF EFFORT. We are headed there and don't want to arrive empty handed. So, if you have any

• bottles of rubbing alcohol
• peroxide
• tampons
• sanitary napkins
• toilet paper
• bandages
• ace bandages
• panties
• t-shirts
• diapers
• cases of BOTTLED WATER
• or anything else you can think of that you know you wouldn't be able to live without.

OR PLEASE TEXT YELE TO 501501. $5 will be added to your cell phone bill.

Yele is Wyclef Jean's organization. He is Haitian and has serviced Haiti since 2005 through this organization. http://www.yele.org/

I still do not recommend people text Yele. I recommend donating through the Red Cross or Doctors without Borders. This isn't a slight to Yele so much as it is about the logistics of the text donation process. Ultimately all that matters is that the money gets to Haiti and it doesn't have to occur through Yele.

On another note, Michael Baisden said to send items but to NOT send clothes because these items are unable to be stored or whatever is the case. So we have the Red Cross asking people NOT to send supplies at all and other groups asking people TO send supplies but NOT to send clothes.

I recommend people just donate money. Donate through REPUTABLE donation agencies. Let the "experts" figure out the rest. Certainly DO NOT plan on making a trip to Haiti (which some people are trying to do) unless you are being invited and housed by an organization like the Red Cross. They are trained to deal with such crises whereas the average citizen IS NOT. You will do nothing but get in the way and request things (i.e. lodging because you aren't familiar with Haiti and expect a Ramada hotel) that the "experts" have already worked out for the people they have flown in to help.

OTW, where'd you get that info from? the yele website is now a bare bones thing and they took down their regular website.

;)

In spite of his negative six figure assets (WTF!) I might have been inclined to donate if his website showed some growth since 2007, an annual report for 2008, or just some proof that they have the organizational infrastructure to do what he says they do.

I am a Development Director professionally, and it's only now that I FULLY understand the importance of the capacity of an organization. I can only (in good conscience) donate to an organization that already does what it says it can do -- not organizations who say they can but haven't proven it already.

Mad love to Wyclef though.

Is non-parishable food okay?
 

Are canned goods and/or nonparishable food items okay? I'm hearing requests for those items on CNN. (?)

I hope u have a safe trip. PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL!!

Oh snap.

I was trying to be nice about Yele while discouraging people to donate through Yele.

thanks! lol @ your incestuous relationship :p

Thanks for this. It made for some very interesting reading.

aaaand that's why ppl should lurk before posting.

With the Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross, is there any way to make certain that you money is going to Haiti, or does it just go into a common fund for all of their efforts?

I looked at the red cross website and couldn't tell.

On the donation link, only the first donation category listed Haiti. It took me like 30 minutes yesterday to notice that.

I ended up not donating because I don't feel comfortable having to assume the money is going to Haiti.

ETA: I'm not too keen to texting for donations regardless of the source, but I'm more trusting of Red Cross getting their money from my service provider than Yele.

That has always been my concern when I want to make donations to specific causes. I want to make sure it goes where I intend; as much as it is possible to get such assurances.

This is where I donated: http://www.americares.org/

http://www.americares.org/newsroom/n...aiti-2010.html