Haiti needs our help

The pictures flashed on the television screen are troubling. They haunt us in our sleep.

The devastation of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti rivals almost anything we can imagine. According to latest estimates, 80,000 people have died as a result of the quake and the difficult living conditions.

Haiti, already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, had not yet recovered from four tropical storms and hurricanes that battered the island nation in 2009. Now, the capital of Port-Au-Prince is largely in ruins, and the infrastructure in the country is almost nonexistent.

In the face of such tragedy, one might ask what one could do to help. The need is so great, and we are in such distress in the current economic downturn.

But consider, the per capita gross domestic product of Haiti is only $1,300. Many of us spend more than that per year on cell phone service.

And that cell phone can help. By texting the word "HAITI" to "90999," you can donate $10, charged to your cell phone bill, to the American Red Cross to purchase humanitarian relief supplies.

According to the U.S. Agency for International Development, monetary donations are the most effective form of assistance, because they allow humanitarian organizations to purchase exactly what is needed by those affected by the disaster. Given the logistical nightmare of bringing supplies into Haiti, donations of food and clothing are impractical at this time.

Other ways to donate financially include going online to the Red Cross at www.redcross.org, or the Mercy Corps, at www.mercycorps.org. These are well-established organizations with proven track records of effective use of funds; avoid fly-by-night organizations that seem to sprout in the wake of disasters, sometimes to take advantage of the giving spirit of Americans.

Another program worth supporting is Shelter Boxes, which provides tents and necessary housekeeping supplies for families who have been displaced. With so many houses destroyed by the earthquake, this program is giving Haitian families a place to call home while the country is rebuilt.

Almost 1,000 of these boxes are already on the ground in Haiti, providing relief for families. But more are needed, as well as assistance in transporting them to Haiti.

For more information, visit www.shelterboxusa.org. You can donate online, or to ShelterBox USA, 8374 Market St. #203, Brandenton, Fla., 34202.