How Canadians Can Help

During major disasters and other emergencies abroad

Canadians feel strongly about helping to support communities affected by natural disasters and other emergencies abroad.

The best way to help: Donate money - not clothing or food - to experienced humanitarian organizations 

Why should you donate cash instead of goods?
Why do governments and relief agencies discourage donations of food, clothing and other goods?
You have already collected goods that you want to donate. What should you do with them?
You want to volunteer in the affected country. What can you do?
You are interested in helping here in Canada. What can you do?
You want to help beyond the relief phase. What can you do?
Is there a list of experienced humanitarian organizations?

Related:

• How Canadian Companies Can Help
• How the Government of Canada Responds to Natural Disasters Abroad
  

Why should you donate cash instead of goods?

Because cash donations are quick, efficient and adaptable

• Cash donations are the fastest, most efficient way to get help to people living in a disaster zone. They allow relief agencies to purchase quickly supplies based on the specific needs of the affected population.
• Cash donations allow relief agencies to purchase goods and services in the affected country or neighbouring areas. Your financial contribution, in other words, is helping to 1) get aid to affected populations as quickly as possible, and 2) regenerate the local economy, which may have been seriously affected by the disaster. 
• In most cases, it is more cost-effective to purchase goods locally than to airlift supplies from far away, as fuel and aircraft costs can be very high. In addition, local goods can be purchased in much less time than it takes to organize the logistics of an airlift from a distant country. 
• Culturally familiar goods can respond to humanitarian needs, as well as provide a small sense of comfort or normalcy to traumatized and displaced populations, which foreign, unfamiliar goods may not.

Why do governments and relief agencies discourage donations of food, clothing and other goods?

Because cash donations are more useful

• Relief workers on the ground can lose valuable time sorting through unmarked or inaccurately labelled boxes of privately donated goods when the necessary supplies can be purchased locally and cheaply.
• Food, clothing and other goods may not be appropriate for the climate or the culture of the affected population. For example, survivors may need light-weight tents in the case of a hurricane in the summer, or winterized tents in the case of an earthquake in the winter.
• If goods donated by the Canadian public are not appropriate for a given crisis, they may end up not being used, but will have been expensive to transport to the affected region.
• In some parts of the world, items such as used clothing and blankets are subject to import regulations that call for fumigation, for instance. If the goods have not been processed accordingly, they can be refused entry into the affected country, clog up air- and seaports and thereby delay the processing and release of essential relief supplies. In other words, your well-intentioned goods may slow down the distribution of appropriate relief supplies in the affected country.
• Donations of out-of-date medicine and medical supplies can do more harm than good to the health and survival of an affected population. In addition, countries regulate the import of medicine; the medicines you send might be forbidden from passing through a country’s customs, and money will have been wasted in transporting them from Canada.

You have already collected goods that you want to donate. What should you do with them?

Be creative: turn them into cash donations Many Canadians have found creative ways to turn clothes, toys and other goods into cash donations. Below are just a couple of ideas that may help you:

• Organize a community garage sale, auction or raffle and donate all the proceeds to a recognized relief agency. Any left-over goods can be donated to a local charity or shelter.
• Use food donations to have a community potluck and have each person make a small cash donation for the food that they eat. The money can then be donated to a relief agency. If there are any non-perishable food items left over, donate them to a local soup kitchen.

You want to volunteer in the affected country. What can you do? Before volunteering your services, you should consider a few things:

• The time when search and rescue services are needed is usually short – a period counted in hours, rather than days or weeks. A number of countries have decided to specialize in search and rescue and are closer than Canada to certain disaster-prone regions and can therefore be on the ground quickly and when it counts. 
• The need for life-saving first aid and other immediate medical assistance is usually short-lived and can be provided by health services in the affected country or from nearby countries.
• Many agencies have their own rosters of both local and international volunteers who live near the affected area and who are able to contribute to immediate relief efforts. In a crisis, often, the people who can be most useful in the immediate term are those with relevant field experience and language skills, as they can navigate the situation more pro-actively than volunteers who do not speak the language or are unfamiliar with the area. 
• Many countries require entry visas that can sometimes take weeks to obtain. In addition, specific vaccinations may be required to enter certain countries. If you have skills that can be useful in a humanitarian crisis, you could approach relief organizations in advance to register as a volunteer and to get advice from them on how to prepare yourself to leave for a disaster zone at short notice.

You are interested in helping here in Canada. What can you do?

Get involved at the local level

• Canadian NGOs or the local affiliates of international organizations may need assistance staffing phone lines during fundraising drives or organizing fundraising events in your community. Check their websites regularly. 

You want to help beyond the relief phase. What can you do?

Stay involved for the long term

• Many people want to help during the initial emergency, but do not realize how much assistance and money are necessary in the longer term reconstruction - long after the crisis phase of a natural disaster. Organize fundraising events. Encourage friends and family to donate to reputable agencies involved in rebuilding an affected area. Make cash donations over the holidays when most non-governmental organizations have fundraising drives.
• Learn more about disaster risk reduction and donate money to development projects that aim to reduce communities’ vulnerability to future natural disasters.

Is there a list of experienced humanitarian organizations?Is there a list of experienced humanitarian organizations?

You will find below an indicative list of Canadian non-governmental humanitarian organizations, though not all NGOs listed may be active in Haiti nor will all registered charities be collecting funds for the Haiti earthquake response. Canadians are encouraged to contact organizations directly to determine if they are collecting funds for disaster response in Haiti and are present and able to respond to identified humanitarian needs in that country.

The Government of Canada works with trusted humanitarian partners and relief agencies to deliver humanitarian assistance in affected areas.  For a full list of charitable organizations, please see the Canada Revenue Agency's website.

Adventist Development and Relief Agency Canada (ADRA)
148 King Street E.
Oshawa, ON, L1H 1H8
Tel.: (905) 433-8004
Fax: (905) 723-1903
E-mail: info@adra.ca
www.adra.ca

Aga Khan Foundation Canada
The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat
199 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, ON K1N 1K6
Tel: (613)237-2532
Fax: (613)567-2532
Toll free number: 1-800-267-2532
Email: info@akfc.ca
www.akfc.ca

Alternatives
3720, avenue du Parc, bureau 300
Montréal, QC, H2X 2J1
Tel.: (514) 982-6606
Fax: (514) 982-6122
Email: alternatives@alternatives.ca
www.alternatives.ca

Canadian Catholic Organization for
Development and Peace (CCODP)
5633 Sherbrooke St. East
Montreal, Québec, H1N 1A3
Tel: (514) 257-8710 ext. 318 OR (514)257-8711
www.devp.org

Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB)
400-280 Smith Street, P.O. Box 767
Winnipeg, MB, R3C 2L4
Tel: (204) 944-1993 / 1-800-665-0377
Fax: (204) 943-2597
E-mail: cfgb@foodgrainsbank.ca
www.foodgrainsbank.ca

Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR)
1080 Kingsbury Avenue
Winnipeg, MB, R2P 1W5
Tel: (204) 694-5602
Fax: (204) 694-5460
E-mail: clwr@clwr.mb.ca
www.clwr.org

Canadian Red Cross Society
International Services Department
170 Metcalfe Street, Suite 300
Ottawa, Ontario
Tel: 740-1900
Fax: 740-1911
www.redcross.ca

Care Canada
6 Antares Drive, Unit 300, Phase 3
Ottawa, ON, K1G 4X6
Tel: (800) 267-5232
Fax: 226-5777
E-mail: hr@care.ca
www.care.ca

Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI)
3000, rue Omer-Lavallée,
Montréal (Québec), H1Y 3R8
Phone: (514) 875-9911
Fax: (514) 875-6469
E-mail: info@ceci.ca
www.ceci.ca

Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC)
3475 Mainway, PO Box 5070, STN LCD 1
Burlington Ontario, L7R 3Y8
Tel: (800) 730-3490 / (905) 336-2920
Fax: (905) 336-8344
E-mail: crwrc@crcna.ca
www.crwrc.org

Confederation of Canadian Christian Schools
1 Wenden Crt., R.R.#2
Minesing, ON, L0L 1Y2
Tel: (705) 728-7344
Fax: (705) 728-4401
E-mail: info@devp.org
www.devp.org

Doctors Without Borders
402-720 Spadina Ave
Toronto, ON, M5S 2T9
Tel: (416) 964-0619
Fax: (416) 963-8707
Toll free number: 1-800-982-7903
E-mail: msfcan@msf.ca
www.msf.ca

International Development and Relief Foundation
1063 McNicoll Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M1W 3W6
Tel: (416) 497-0818
Toll Free number: 1-866-497-IDRF
www.idrf.ca

Médecins du Monde
338, rue Sherbrooke Est
Montréal (Québec)
H2X 1E6
Tél. : 514-281-8998
Sans frais : 1 877 896-8998
Téléc. : 514-281-3011
Courriel: info@medecinsdumonde.ca
www.medecinsdumonde.ca

Mennonite Central Committee
134 Plaza Drive
Winnipeg, MB, R3T 5K9
Tel: (204) 261-6381
Fax: (204) 269-9875
E-mail: canada@mennonitecc.ca
www.mcc.org

Mission Aviation Fellowship of Canada
264 Woodlawn Rd. W.
Guelph, ON. N1H 1B6
Tel: (519) 821-3914
Fax: (519) 823-1650
Toll-free number: 1-877-351-9344
www.mafc.org

OXFAM-Canada
300-294 Albert Street
Ottawa, ON, K1P 6E6
Tel: 237-5236
Fax: 237-0524
E-mail: enquire@oxfam.ca
www.oxfam.ca

OXFAM-Québec
200-2330 Notre-Dame W.
Montreal, Québec, H3J 2Y2
Tel: (514) 937-1614
Fax: (514) 937-9452
E-mail: oxfamocs@web.net
www.oxfam.qc.ca

Plan International Canada
95 St. Clair Avenue West, Suite 1001
Toronto, Ontario M4V 3B5
Tel: (416) 920-1654
Fax: (416) 920-9942
Toll Free number: 1-800-387-1418
Email: info@plancanada.ca
www.plancanada.ca

The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund
80 Hayden Street
Toronto, Ontario M4Y 3G2
Tel: 416-924-9192
Fax: 416-924-3483 
Toll Free number: 1-866-308-7973
E-mail: pwrdf@pwrdf.org
www.pwrdf.org

Salvation Army Canada
2 Overlea Boulevard
Toronto, ON, M4H 1P4
Tel: (416) 425-2111
www.salvationarmy.ca

Samaritan’s Purse Canada
20 Hopewell Way NE
Calgary, Alberta, T3J 5H5
Tel: (800) 663-6500 / (403) 250-6565
Fax: (403) 250-6567
E-mail: canada@samaritan.org
www.samaritanspurse.ca

Save the Children Canada
4141 Yonge Street, Suite 300
Toronto, ON, M2P 2A8
Tel: (416) 221-5501 / 1-800-668-5036
Fax: (416) 221-8214
E-mail: sccan@savethechildren.ca
www.savethechildren.ca

The Sharing Way - Canadian Baptist Ministries
7185 Millcreek Dr
Mississauga, Ontario L5N 5R4
Tel: (905) 821-3533
Fax: (905) 826-3441
www.thesharingway.org/cbmin/

UNICEF Canada
2200 Yonge St., 11th floor,
Toronto, ON, M4S 2C6
Tel: (416) 482-4444
Fax: (416) 482-8035
E-mail: secretary@unicef.ca
www.unicef.ca

World Vision Canada
1 World Drive,
Mississauga, ON, L5T 2Y4
Tel: (905) 565-6100 / 1-800 268 5863
Fax: (905) 696-2162
E-mail: info@worldvision.ca
www.worldvision.ca

Or for a list of established relief organizations operating in Canada, contact:

Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Public Inquiries Service, Communications Branch
200 Promenade du Portage
Gatineau, QC, KIA OG4
Tel: (819) 997-5006 or 1-800-230-6349
Fax: (819) 953-6088
E-mail: info@acdi-cida.gc.ca