A great link from my sister:
Chris Sacca's Six Ways You Can Help in Haiti. In addition to the resources the author listed, many readers have left comments on the post with other options/avenues to provide assistance.
Sometimes it's tough to know what to do in the aftermath of tragic events like the earthquake in Haiti, Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami of 2004, and even 9/11/01. If I flew over there right now, how much could I help? If I gave my life savings, how much difference could it make? If I started a foundation dedicated to relief work or policy building or rescue aid or feeding the hungry or ending poverty, how much could I actually change? It's easy to get discouraged by the thought that I could never do enough. But others' stories give me perspective...
What good is a pencil case, sent to a single student in New Orleans? It might not sound like a lot, but when that object inspired a boy to ask his classmates to donate school supplies, and those classmates asked their friends and parents, it resulted in dozens of fully-stocked bookbags getting shipped to a school rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.
A retired neurosurgeon was talking about his yearly medical missions to the Philippines. In addition to working with an organization to provide care in areas with little/no access to medical resources, he tacks on time to each trip to spend on his own personal mission of aiding children with hydrocephalus.
Someone asked me to save ketchup packets I get from fast-food restaurants, to give to a soup kitchen. It seems like such a small thing to give, but with the money saved on buying condiments, they are able to offer a cookie or brownie with each meal. The "luxury" of a sweet treat makes a difference, even if it just an extra smile or fleeting moment of joy.
A local coffee shop offered everything for free, one day this weekend. Rather than charge anything, the baristas collected optional donations for the efforts of Partners In Health in Haiti. They raised over $10,000!
It's not about time, or scale, or heroism. It's not about guilt or wanting to personally feel like I'm doing good. When the sentiment comes together--when acts of kindness turn into waves of generosity, or when a small gesture inspires a life of benevolence--I'm reminded that *helping* is not about me at all.
- Mb