In the 10 days since a 7.0 earthquake wreaked havoc on Haiti, St. Louis residents have opened their wallets to a range of national relief organizations that have regional branches here. On Friday, representatives from many of those agencies gathered at the United Way of Greater St. Louis to make a plea for continued donations.

After a disaster like the one that hit Haiti, at least half of the money given to support relief efforts typically comes within the first few weeks, said 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.

Added Barry Rosenberg, executive vice president of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis: "Our experience is that attention spans tend to be short. There's a tremendous outpouring at first, but what's important to keep in mind is that this is a long-term reconstruction effort. The needs won't go away quickly."

Thus the call for support as week two of collections comes to an end -- with a bang, courtesy of a telethon hosted by St. Louis' favorite actor of the moment, George Clooney.

While people might consider donating canned food, emergency kits or even their volunteer time, the agency representatives overwhelmingly said that money is what's most needed for the time being.

Dollar said that donations in many cases are being used to pay for supplies that agencies have already bought and begun to distribute to people in Haiti. "The money's not going to sit there unused," he said. "There's such a great need." 

Photo by Elia Powers | Beacon staff

Representatives of (from left) United Way, Red Cross, Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity, Church World Services and International Institute were among those who outlined current relief efforts and ongoing needs Friday.

In some cases, donations are also going toward long-term recovery efforts. The American Red Cross, for instance, reports than in the first week of the Haiti response effort, it has spent or committed $34 million (about one-fourth of what's been pledged or received nationally). Half of what has been committed or spent is being used to deliver food and water to earthquake survivors, the Red Cross reports. The rest is going toward logistical support, and buying and distributing other supplies.

With so many organizations to choose from, it can be a daunting task to decide where to donate. Dollar offered this advice: "Choose what you are comfortable with and all I would say is make sure [the organization] has a history of disaster relief."

To help sort through who's doing what and who needs what, here's a quick breakdown of the agencies that were represented at the news conference:

AMERICAN RED CROSS, ST. LOUIS CHAPTER

Service provided: First aid, food, water and other basic supplies are now reaching survivors outside the capital city. Responders are treating injuries and performing surgeries. Other efforts include purifying the water supply, providing pre-packaged meals, delivering tents and shelter supplies, and providing blood and blood products for Haitian medical evacuees.

Needs: Financial donations to the American Red Cross International Response Fund.

How to donate: Online or by calling 1-800-Red-Cross, or give $10 by texting "HAITI" to 90999.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF ST. LOUIS 

Service provided: Through Catholic Relief Services, providing food, medical supplies and other goods.

Needs: Financial donations

How to donate: Catholic Relief Services is accepting donations online, over the phone at 1-800-736-3467 or by mail at CRS, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090.

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE

Service provided: Distributing water, blankets, hygiene and baby care kits and medicine boxes.

Needs: Financial donations, and hygiene and baby care kits.

How to donate: Call 314-252-3298

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, ST. LOUIS

Service provided: Locally, $50,000 has been designated to be used toward earthquake response. Projects include clearing the way for home repair and construction, providing shelter kits designed to help families and neighborhoods make immediate repairs to damaged homes, and constructing small transitional shelters.

Needs: Financial donations

How to donate: Text "Habitat" to 25383 to make a $10 donation, which will be added to phone bill or give through Habitat's website.

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ST. LOUIS

Service provided: Connects agencies to St. Louis-based Haitians and provides access to resources for Haitians who need language assistance. The Haitian community in St. Louis is fewer than 1,000 people, said Anna Crosslin, president and CEO of the International Institute. 

“The first stage was people clearly frantic to find out what the status of their family and friends was overseas," Crosslin said. "My sense is that most of them have located (family and friends) or know what their status is. Families are coming in now, it’s been a week and their families haven’t found food or water. The trauma is clearly there. We can try to help them get to the right kind of agencies in the community that are working overseas as first responders.”

JEWISH FEDERATION OF ST. LOUIS

Service provided: Funds given to a partner agency, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, to provide aid, relief and reconstruction. The JDC leads the Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief, which works with the Israeli government and Israel non-governmental organizations to assistance, including a mobile field hospital.

Needs: Financial donations

How to donate: Donations to the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund go to the international relief efforts.

LUTHERAN CHURCH - MISSOURI SYNOD - WORLD RELIEF AND HUMAN CARE

Service provided: Working to assist a partner church, the Lutheran Church of Haiti, in helping victims, by sending emergency medical teams and providing water, food and medical supplies. The church is providing pastoral support and care for clergy and professional church workers in Haiti. Help is also being given to injured Haitian refugees in the Dominican Republican.

Needs: Financial donations that pay for purchase and shipments of emergency supplies; individuals who want to volunteer can learn more here and here.

How to donate: Online.

PRESBYTERIAN DISASTER ASSISTANCE

Service provided: Working through the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) to provide emergency food, water, shelter, medical supplies, personnel and spiritual counseling to Haitians. Legal services and application funds are available for people who are seeking temporary protective status.

The Rev. Dr. Paul T. Reiter, executive presbyter of Presbyterian Giddings-Lovejoy and a member of the national response team of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, said that one family he knows reports that it lost 28 family members in the earthquake.

How to donate: Information on kits can be found here. Gifts can be made by calling (800) 872-3283 or sending checks to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, P.O. Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700

THE SALVATION ARMY

Service provided: The St. Louis chapter is raising funds and has sent three staff members to aid disaster victims. Relief efforts focus on distributing meals kits to families in Port-Au-Prince, serving water to survivors and assisting people who are temporary living on a soccer field behind the Salvation Army compound in Haiti. Nationally, focus is on administering medical aid, and delivering supplies and meals.

Needs: Financial donations

How to donate: Text "HAITI" to 52000 to donate $10 to the Salvation Army's relief efforts; or visit the website;  or mail check to the Salvation Army Midland Division, Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund, P.O. Box 21787, St. Louis, MO 63109-0787; or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

UNITED METHODIST COMMITTEE ON RELIEF

Service provided: Sending donations through the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Collecting Festival of Sharing health kits, medicine boxes and clothing for children, to be picked up Feb. 2 at locations across the region.

Needs: Financial donations for kits

How to donate: Visit website for more information

UNITED WAY 2-1-1

Service provided: 24-hour call center fields inquiries about Haiti -- specifically how local residents can help and how help can be obtained. Information is available about health resources, elderly care, job training programs and more.

Needs: Financial support

How to donate: For disbursement to other agencies, send checks to United Way of Greater St. Louis - Haiti Relief, 910 N. 11th St., St. Louis, MO 63101