From http://newsroom.redcross.org/2010/01/12/di...quake-in-haiti/

"12:30am (1/13/2010) You can text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross relief for Haiti."

Or go to redcross.org.

A note from personal experience from GneissGuy about the American Red Cross. (ARC)

The Red Cross pisses a lot of people off including me. They are infuriating at times. They're a big organization that has problems.

However, if you're in a disaster area, the Red Cross is the organization that gets there firstest with the mostest. They save lives more quickly than almost any other organization. They're a loaded gun ready to help in an instant. They have the resources, contacts and organization that no one else has to send massive amounts of aid rapidly. I believe they are good about most of your money going into actual relief, not further advertising and fundraising.

If you want to donate to help quickly, donate to the ARC.

I'm not attacking the other fund. I just know the ARC is a good way to donate.

I believe the 20222 number IS also a legitimate organization. I followed a link from the whitehouse web site that led to it.

Be very careful about any OTHER links soliciting Haiti relief funds. There are a lot of slick scammers out there who have no qualms about profiting from others' misery. That's yet another reason the ARC is good. You know your money is going to a legit organization.

By the way, I can tell you from experience that the way to help is CASH!!! Food, clothing, etc. feels good and may help long term, but CASH gets there first. Collecting small donations of food, clothing, etc. takes time and resources that could be used elsewhere. Cash lets organization purchase and deliver supplies efficiently in large quantities.

Even last minute volunteers can be a hindrance, unless they're specifically asked for. It takes resources to organize and train the new volunteers. Don't clog the phone lines volunteering unless they ask for volunteers.

Especially never go to any kind of disaster situation on your own. You endanger yourself, get in the way, and may even endanger the emergency services people when they have to help you out.