Area residents getting involved in earthquake relief
Posted Jan 20, 2010 10:45:24 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Residents of Waterloo Region are digging deep when it comes to donations for earthquake relief. The Kitchener-Waterloo branch of the Red Cross has already collected $147,000. Manager Karen Charles tells 570 News those donations have been just those that have come directly to the office — they do not include any area residents who may have made an online donation or called a 1-800 number.
Charles says the nearly $150,000 collected at the King Street South office so far has come from people calling the office directly, walking in with a donation and even children that have emptied their piggy banks and donated their savings. She says across Ontario, Waterloo Region continues to be one of the most generous communities when it comes to a response to natural disasters and she is continually amazed at our capacity to give to areas that are so far away.
Charles says the focus of the Red Cross efforts continues to be getting basics like food, water and shelter to victims of last week’s earthquake. Efforts will then shift to re-construction and Charles says the goal there will be to create a better infrastructure than Haiti had in place before the earthquake. She says the Red Cross will likely remain in the area for at least three years.
