After 5: Aid in the Aftermath

As the world mobilized to aid Haiti in the wake of the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, Ozarks businesses and organizations sprang into action to do what they could to help the impoverished nation.

From dress-down-day fundraisers to canned-food and cash donation drives, area entities are helping charities such as Convoy of Hope and the American Red Cross achieve their missions of easing suffering.

“The business community’s response has been, I think, exceptional,” says Jeff Nene, Convoy of Hope’s senior director of communications and technology.

The ways businesses and other institutions are giving are about as varied as the businesses themselves.

Empire Bank, for example, has collected donations three ways. Andrew Tasset, the bank’s vice president of marketing, says employees held a casual day fundraiser shortly after the earthquake. Employees raised $2,500 for Convoy of Hope, and the bank matched the donation. The bank also is serving as a donation center, which means customers and the public can drop off donations at any of the bank’s locations. That effort has raised an additional $5,000, bringing Empire’s total to $10,510 so far, says Tasset.

“There’s been an outpouring from our employees and our customers,” Tasset says. “Everyone is looking for a good way to donate to the Haiti relief effort.”

Springfield Little Theatre is taking a different tack by rewarding patrons for giving.
Theatergoers receive a $5 discount on tickets to “The King and I” in exchange for a donation of four cans of food for Convoy of Hope. “The King and I” runs Feb. 5–21 at the Landers Theatre, 311 E. Walnut Ave.

Beth Domann, the theater’s artistic director, says a goal for the food drive has not been set; they’re just hoping to collect as much as possible.

“I just think we want to do whatever we can do to help – that’s our goal,” Domann says. “We want to be good stewards and help people.”

Greg James, director of development at the Greater Ozarks Chapter of the American Red Cross, says partnering with businesses is a vital element in the charity’s fundraising efforts.

Regionally, the American Red Cross is receiving help from two grocery store chains: the Kroger Co.’s Dillons stores and the Pyramid Foods chain of grocery stores that includes Price Cutter, Smitty’s, Ramey, Save-A-Lot and Country Mart.

The stores are collecting donations as small as a dollar from customers at the checkout and sending the proceeds to the Red Cross.

“It’s not a big amount for you or me,” James says, “but it sure adds up on the other end.”
Those donations are going to remain critical for the foreseeable future, he adds. The Red Cross expects to spend years helping Haitians get back on their feet.

“What is so hard for people to imagine is what you would do with nothing, and then there’s no infrastructure in the country. … They say it’s worse than anything we’ve ever responded to,” he says.

For now, it’s basic needs such as water, food and shelter that are being addressed.

Nene says Convoy of Hope already has distributed 1.6 million child-size meals in Haiti, and the group has another $1 million in food and supplies en route to Haiti. Last week, the Red Cross shipped 3 million meals to Haiti.

The charities say the best way for people to help is with cash donations. While Convoy is always appreciative of whatever help people are willing and able to give, Convoy can make monetary donations go a lot further than in-kind donations.

“We can turn $1 into $7 of product,” Nene says, explaining that for the $5 a person might spend on a case of water, his organization can turn that into $35 worth of water through its purchasing power.

“Sometimes it seems impersonal, but it’s so important,” he says of cash donations.[[In-content Ad]]A variety of Ozarks businesses are making it easy to contribute to relief efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
A law signed by President Barack Obama on Jan. 22 allows donations for the Haiti relief effort made by March 1 to be deducted from taxpayers’ 2009 taxes. The donations must be made to eligible charities, such as Convoy of Hope and the American Red Cross. For more information, visit www.irs.gov.
To give directly to relief agencies, send donations to:
• American Red Cross, 1545 N. West Bypass, Springfield, MO 65803
• Convoy of Hope, 330 S. Patterson Ave., Springfield, MO 65802; also, through a text campaign, cell users can text “CONVOY” to 50555 to make a $10 gift.
Below are a few businesses participating as collection points. (Call for more information.)
• Community Foundation of the Ozarks has established the Convoy of Hope Haiti Relief Fund, to which its partners can contribute. (417-864-4822)
• Dillons grocery stores are accepting donations for the American Red Cross.
• Empire Bank branches are collecting donations for Convoy of Hope. Donations can be dropped off at any of the bank’s locations. (417-881-3100)
• Great Southern Bank branches are collecting donations for Convoy of Hope. (417-887-4400)
• Ozark Mountain Bank branches in Branson are collecting donations for the American Red Cross. (417-334-4125)
• Donations are being accepted at all stores in the Pyramid Foods group, including Price Cutter, Smitty’s, Ramey, Save-A-Lot and Country Mart.
• Springfield Little Theatre is holding a food drive for Convoy of Hope. Patrons can receive $5 off any ticket to “The King and I” when four cans of food are donated. “The King and I” runs Feb. 5–21 at Landers Theatre, 311 E. Walnut Ave. (417-869-1334)

Donating Online? Be Smart
While the earthquake in Haiti has brought out the best in some folks, it’s also brought out some of the worst.
Symantec Hosted Services has reported online scams in the disaster’s aftermath.
To ensure your online donations are going to relief efforts, Symantec offers the following advice:
• Avoid clicking on suspicious links in e-mail or instant messages. They may go to spoof Web sites. Instead, navigate directly to your chosen charity’s Web site by typing its URL in your browser.
• Never fill out forms in messages that ask for personal or financial information or passwords. It’s unlikely a reputable charity would ask for such information. If in doubt, call the charity.
• If you’re unsure about a charity or which one to give to, use Web sites such as charitynavigator.org, which help guide donors to charities they can trust.