How You Can Make a Difference

This past year has seen significant destruction wrought by Mother Nature — from hurricanes to wild fires to earthquakes. Many wonder how to help those who have suffered in the path of such devastation and chaos?

While providing goods such as clothing, food and pet supplies may help, financial donations are the most impactful.

The victims of the devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico are still in desperate need of assistance. To date, only 16 percent of the island has power, and clean water is still scarce. Read More

The following list focuses on organizations specifically providing direct relief to fellow citizens in Puerto Rico:

Save the Children: Funds donated to its Hurricane Maria relief fund provide critical aid to recovering children and families, helping them rebuild their lives.

Direct Relief: Its mission is to “improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty and emergencies,” and they have people working on the ground today in Puerto Rico focusing relief efforts on health facilities.

Puerto Rico Rises: This Florida-based organization has volunteers on the island collecting and distributing food and water directly to neighborhoods.

United for Puerto Rico: The First Lady of Puerto Rico, Beatriz Rosselló, in collaboration with the private sector, has started this charity with the purpose of donating 100% of proceeds raised to provide aid and support to Puerto Ricans impacted by the hurricanes.

One America Appeal: An initiative started by five former presidents, every cent donated “will help the victims of the hurricanes in the U.S. and Caribbean recover.”

We’ve written in the past about charity scams. Read Article. Do your homework to make sure your dollars go as far as they possibly can in the right direction. If you are uncertain about an organization, visit Charity Navigator for the low down. More Informations