Citizen Action Team Coordinates Haiti Earthquake Relief

(ACTON, MA) - Terra Friedrichs' group, the Citizen Action Team (CAT), is
taking a lead role locally in helping to coordinate and provide assistance
to Haitian earthquake victims.

Friedrichs recommends that people donate directly to organizations that send
the relief to the disaster zone (rather than through corporations). There is
a partial list of ways you can help below, along with the group's website
information.

Friedrichs got involved by helping victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. She
has spent many hours collecting goods and shipping them to various disaster
zones when needed. This has included donated computers, clothing, and
library books.

The group has received donations from local Acton business National
Technical Systems, which has provided trucks and volunteers to move and pack
donated goods. United Parcel Service has provided reduced-rate shipping as
well. United Way of Tri-County has also provided needed financial
assistance.

Students from Acton-Boxborough Regional High School have also contributed
many hours to pack and ship goods.

Friedrichs described CAT's goals and missions: "We basically list 'needs'
and 'available services.' and operate a call center to help guide people
where to send donations. We hunt down the grass-roots groups that are onsite
in disaster zones, so people can give direct. We show who is responding to a
particular disaster so people have a better idea about who to donate to if
they care about a particular disaster. We also list volunteer needs so that
volunteers can go to the places they are needed. We help corporations ship
'in-kind' donations to the spots they are needed most."

According to the Boston Globe, as many as 3 million people may have been
affected by the earthquake, with an untold number of dead that could run
into several thousand, or more.

Following are Citizen Action Team's recommended donation links and
information.

ON-SITE MEDICAL

1. Baptist Haiti Mission

Fermathe
Route de Kenscoff
tel: (011) 509-3255-9807
email onsite in Haiti (please keep these to a minimum):bhmhaiti@bhm.org
email at US dispatch/management office: bhmus@bhm.org

US checks:
118 Courtland St
Rockford MI 49341

Or go to their website to pay online:

Scroll down, ignore the stuff about schoolbooks and stuff. It's about food
and water right now.

ORPHANAGES

1. Debra Jo's Safe House

there's a blog and a place to donate online.

2. God's Littlest Angels

perhaps sending the check directly to, instead of going through HQ:

John and Dixie Bickel
Unit 2081-GLA
3170 Airmans Drive
Ft. Pierce, FL 34946

Here's the full list of orphages so far:

VOLUNTEERING

Volunteers will be needed, but it's not clear how many or where, or what the
accommodations will be for housing of volunteers. So if you want to go and
aren't already hooked up with military or medical reserve corps, please sit
tight. We'll know more in a few days...

We have a source for sending in-kind donations for $2/pound, but are holding
off for another day to see whether military/and other established disaster
corps can provide basics or not.

RED CROSS CONTACT INFORMATION
If people want to give to the Red Cross, please send checks it directly to:

US denominations are OK. Or if you send in a check to the US Red Cross
locations, please mark it for Haiti Relief, or it will go into the "general
fund"...which can go to marketing and corporate bonuses...

Postal Address:
IFRC
CRH - B.P. 1337
Port-Au-Prince

Street Address:
1, rue du Muguet
Route de Desprez 7
Port-Au-Prince HT 6112

Tel: (509) 2244-9229/9230
Fax: (509) 2222-2709

For more information, visit the CAT website at www.reliefdatabase.org
. For a database of lists, visit
www.citizencommandcenter.org .