The biggest news story of the last week was the disastrous magnitude-7 earthquake that hit Haiti on Tuesday. There's no sense in beating around the bush: it's bad down there, and it's getting worse. The death toll is in the tens of thousands and rising. Resources are scarce and aren't easily distributed.
For those of us watching on TV in the comfort of our living rooms, it seems a whole world away. Some of you are in Europe, where, by distance, it really is nearly a world away. The rest of us simply have no idea what it's like to live in abject poverty your entire life, and then have the nothing you thought you had taken away in the space of thirty seconds.
I wish I had a magic bullet to make it all go away, or to turn the clock back before the quake hit. But of course, I can't do those things. In my present situation, I can't even aid in the relief efforts. Chances are, you're not in a position to drop everything and leave home to help either, but I know that at least some of you would if you could.
If you want to help, you can donate, though. Donate anything you can: money, food, water, or clothing are obvious necessities, but there's really nothing you can send that isn't useful. Some less conventional ideas that you may not think of include toiletries (soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste), first aid kits (bandages, gauze, alcohol, anti-bacterial cream), batteries, flashlights, and radios (two-way and broadcast).
Of course, the easiest and most versatile item you can donate is money. It's probably the most wanted item as well. Here are a few places you can go to to donate. Excuse any redundancies; there's a lot of overlap.
You can also donate through your nearest CoinStar machine (usually found in supermarkets). When you donate, select the Red Cross.
Also, as Stephen Colbert notes, there are a couple of ways to donate through your cell phone, courtesy of the musician Wyclef Jean and Yele Haiti (text "Yele" to 501501).
Thanks for reading, and for caring.
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