A national and international collaboration of animal welfare groups called the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti (ARCH) has been set up specifically to provide aid to the animals of Haiti. One of VFA's favorite animal rescue groups, Best Friends Animal Society, is part of this coalition. Unfortunately a crippled infrastructure, damaged roads, and an overburdened airport has largely prevented a full-scale animal rescue from taking place as of yet, but determined volunteers and rescue workers are standing closely by, and when they are allowed access, they will be greatly in need of your support to help the animals in need. In Best Friends own words, “Best Friends and ARCH are committed to a collaborative relief effort, one that will not only ease the suffering of animals from the earthquake, but go a long way toward improving lives for all the animals in Haiti over the long term. And we pledge that every dime that we take in will go toward helping animals in need.”

To make a donation to Best Friends for the Haiti Animal Rescue Fund, visit:
https://www.bestfriends.org/donate/Haiti.cfm

Or use your cell phone and text SAVE to 90999 and a $10 donation will be added to your cell phone bill.



Kinship Circle is another animal advocacy organization that is part of ARCH and in need of funds to help aid animals in Haiti. To send a donation to Kinship Circle, visit:

http://www.kinshipcircle.org/donation

and type “HAITI ANIMAL AID” after your name.

You can also donate by check or money order to:

Kinship Circle
7380 Kingsbury Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63130

Write HAITI ANIMAL AID, on your check's memo line.

Plan USA is a great international development organization and one of the largest and oldest in the world. Every day they provide over one and a half million children and families around the world assistance through their grassroots, self-help programs in health, education, water and sanitation, and income-generation. Right now they are raising funds to help rush emergency supplies to children and families in Haiti.

To make a donation to Plan USA directed to children and their families in Haiti visit:
www.planusa.org/haitiaid


Global Links, a local charity based in Pittsburgh that recovers unused medical equipment and supplies and provides it to those in need, has teamed up with the group Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba (MEDICC) to provide medical aid for the over 400 Haitian doctors who are working alongside Cuban medical teams in Haiti to treat earthquake victims. These supplies and medicines will directly support the work of the doctors, and become part of a long-term effort to improve health in Haiti. They are also working with Pittsburgh-based agencies that have an established presence in Haiti and mobilizing local resources for supplies and materials and channeling those materials to agencies with personnel in Haiti.

To donate towards this effort visit Global Links website at www.globallinks.org and click on the ‘Donate to Help Haiti Now’ button.

Furthermore, Global Links is reporting that there is an urgent need for crutches, particularly pediatric crutches, for Haitian relief efforts. If you have any old and no longer used crutches you can donate, you can drop them off at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, which is volunteering as a drop-off site, at the PCA School at 1047 Shady Ave, Pittsburgh 15232.

Thank you for providing this much needed aid to human and nonhuman individuals in Haiti!