Other than the Red Cross what other charities are there that would have a direct and immediate effect on helping the situation down there?

Portlight has been in existance over 10 years and is helping on this effort.

www.portlight.org
Dr. Jeff Masters and Wunderground mentioned them in his blog today.

They're loading up a convoy and headed to the area this week.

Portlight has sole access and responsibility for all funds.


Portlight Stratagies will be in charge of all funds, and make sure that the supplies and monies get in the hands of those that need it most. They are also working with several entities in South Carolina to raise additional funds.

Here is more on this organization

The fiscal sponsor of Pat's WU blogger initiative will be Portlight Strategies, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit tax exempt organization founded in 1997 for the purpose of providing medical equipment and other services primarily to people with disabilities. This was also the host organization for the Spirit of ADA Torch relay which visited 24 cities in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. All funds will be transparently accounted for in a separate dedicated account and posted on Pat's blog and are a matter of public record through the organizations IRS Form 990 which can be reviewed at Charity Navigator or the IRS. For the last 6 years over 90% of all donated funds to this group have gone to direct program services. This can be verified at the South Carolina Secretary of State website: www.scsos.com...click Public Charities and then charity search....enter Portlight

This arrangement serves several purposes:

-all contributions will be tax deductible as allowed by federal law
-all accounting is public record
-Pat won't have a personal tax liability on the funds
-checks and balances on accountability for all monies received...
-affiliation with a national nonprofit with a proven track record of credibility

Thanks, and please remember it does not matter how you choose to help as long as you help in some fashion.

Thanks.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief also does a lot of work with relief. 100% of donations goes directly to the cause of your choosing.

http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/work/emergencies/hurricanes2008/

This is the general fund that goes to relief for people from all hurricanes. On the website, you will find links to the type of work they are doing and also to specific areas you can donate to.

quote:

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UMCOR is prepared long before a disaster strikes—and the 2008 hurricane season is no exception. In each annual conference disaster response personnel are trained and ready to respond in the case of a local disaster. This ensures that someone in close proximity to an affected community is able to be there quickly and to oversee what can often be an extended period of recovery. In the case of a major disaster UMCOR provides consultants and grants to help the annual conference for their disaster response ministry which will be ongoing for years to come. UMCOR also ensures relief supplies are available in the UMCOR Sager Brown Depot in Baldwin Louisiana and in pre-positioned sites across the US.

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