Ten days after a 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti, representatives from some of the largest national relief organizations gathered at the United Way of Greater St. Louis' downtown office to discuss the recovery efforts. (Click here to read the Beacon's story on this event.)  

Photo by Gwenn Goodale Mangine

The deadly quake in Haiti collapsed an enormous number of buildings.

Each panelist outlined a slightly different strategy to reach the Haitian victims, but the group's main message was unified: Monetary donations are sorely needed.

That might have seemed like an obvious point, but the speakers said they often get questions about whether it's helpful to donate canned goods and care packages or to volunteer in the wake of a natural disaster. In these early stages, most of the speakers said, it's best to donate money, which often pays for the supplies that were purchased long ago for such emergencies.

Now two months after the Haiti disaster and two weeks after a massive (but far less deadly) earthquake rocked Chile, relief groups are reporting a decline in donations. That's expected, officials say, given the time that's passed and the decrease in news coverage. Gary Dollar, president and chief executive officer of the United Way of Greater St. Louis, which supports many of the agencies that provide disaster response, said that at least half of the money given to support relief efforts typically comes within the first few weeks of a disaster.

The message for people still wanting to donate hasn't changed: Financial support remains the top priority.

"In terms of what we do, money is the most immediate need," said Arthur Hailand, head of development for the St. Louis chapter of the American Red Cross. "Whenever we can spend dollars in an affected region, it helps the economy and in general allows relief agencies to coordinate amongst themselves to find the necessary resources."

People who donate to the Red Cross have the option of designating their money to go toward either the Haiti or Chile efforts, or toward an international relief fund that allows the agency to immediately respond to disasters around the world.

Hailand said about $2 million has been raised locally for recovery efforts in Haiti, while the Chile donations, which among other things help pay for shelter, emergency medical care and food, have been considerably less. Officials from other agencies also said donations to Chile don't come close to matching Haiti, a country with far fewer resources to help its residents.

The Red Cross continues to allocate additional funds for Haiti relief and recovery, and the latest major donation will help support the construction of transitional shelters. Roughly $3.7 million is also going to Habitat for Humanity to buy emergency shelter materials.

Habitat's relief efforts in both Haiti and Chile are being coordinated by Habitat for Humanity International, which has helped clear the way for home repair and construction and build small transitional shelters.

Given the still chaotic situation in Haiti, it's too early for Habitat for Humanity to plan volunteer trips to the country, said Courtney Simms, director of resources for Habitat for Humanity St. Louis.

Will Becker, a spokesman for the St. Louis chapter of the Salvation Army,  said he doesn't see a time in the near future when the agency would take local volunteers to Haiti. A St. Louis resident who works for the Salvation Army has been in Haiti for the last month helping to bring clean water to residents.

Becker said the biggest need still is money, which, among other things, helps buy supplies, water and meals for earthquake victims. "That way money can be sent to Haiti and Chile, where we have people on the ground who know what's needed," he said. "We get cans and clothing, but there's a huge cost to ship that stuff down there, and sometimes items can't be used."

Donations to Haiti have tapered off in recent weeks, Becker said. Roughly $425,000 has been donated from people in the St. Louis area to support recovery efforts in Haiti.

Elizabeth Westhoff, a spokeswoman for Catholic Charities of St. Louis, said more than $1.26 million had been donated to Haiti from parishioners in the St. Louis Archdiocese via a second collection campaign. The donations are funneled through Catholic Relief Services, which has focused on providing food, medical supplies and other goods.

The Jewish Federation of St. Louis  is still directing Haiti donations to its partner agency, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which does relief work across the world. Federations (including St. Louis) have raised at least $5 million for Haiti, and financial contributions are still the top priority, said Debbie Warshawski, a spokeswoman for the Jewish Federation of St. Louis.