Financial contributions provide the highest impact to disaster survivors. Relief organizations can buy in bulk, securing better pricing, and can leverage existing partnership with logistics networks to get aid where it’s needed, fast.

Financial Donations

It is best to check the list of current events to ensure that you are donating to the organization identified by the impacted community. Frequently, community organizations, government agencies, and established disaster relief organizations will coordinate on a plan for donated items and financial resources, agreeing to special rules that govern how donations are allocated to ensure fairness.

Material Donations

If and when an approved, coordinated donations site is established, it will be posted on the page for the current incident, along with a list of requested items. Be sure that food is unexpired and sealed, clothing and soft goods are laundered, and household items or appliances are in good working order. Be aware that most disaster donations sites will not accept large appliances or bulky furniture; the road to recovery is a long one, and warehousing large items for months or years is not an efficient use of donated resources. Many donations sites will identify Amazon or Walmart wishlists to allow you to purchase and ship donated items directly.

Prepared food, unlaundered soft goods, and anything you wouldn’t want to bring into your home are not great candidates for donation. Please pay attention to the event-specific list of needs, if provided, to find out what is being asked for.