Organizations taking donations for tsunami victims

Members of the university community have raised questions about where they can send donations to help tsunami victims. The following is a list of organizations that are collecting funds for those affected by the tsunami.

By contributing directly to these organizations, donors can assure that their contributions can get to the victims quickly.

Virginia Tech is an independent entity and is not endorsing any of the organizations on the list. The university encourages individuals to research an organization before donating.

At Virginia Tech, the Association for India's Development (AID) is collecting funds for disaster relief. Contributions can be made online at http://survivors.aidindia.org or by checks payable to 'AID'. (Please indicate "Relief and Rehabilitation Fund" in the check memo). Checks are collected by AID volunteer Anbu (email: anbumani@vt.edu or call at 540-953-4233). All donations to AID are 100 percent tax-deductible under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. AID is a non-profit, student organization working for the underprivileged in India and was founded in 1991. The Virginia Tech chapter was formed in 1998 and is entirely run by student volunteers.

Other organizations include:

Action Against Hunger, 247 W. 37th St. New York, NY 10018, (212) 967-7800 www.actionagainsthunger.org.

ADRA International Asia Quake Fund, 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904, (800) 424-ADRA (2372), www.adra.org.

Air Serv International, 6583 Merchant Place, Suite 100 Warrenton, VA 20187, http://www.airserv.org/airservhome.html.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in southern Asia. Donations are being accepted at 800-HELP-NOW and www.redcross.org.

AmeriCares, (800) 486-4357, www.americares.org.

Doctors Without Borders is preparing relief supplies for the area of Indonesia closest to the epicenter of the earthquake. Contact (888) 392-0392 or www.doctorswithoutborders.org.

Brother's Brother Foundation. 1200 Galveston Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15233, (412) 321-3160, www.brothersbrother.org.

CARE, 151 Ellis St. N.E., Atlanta, GA 30303, (800) 521-CARE (521-2273) or www.careusa.org.

Food for the Hungry Inc. Food for the Hungry Asia Quake Relief, 1224 E. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85034, (800) 2-HUNGERS, www.fh.org.

Direct Relief International, 27 S. La Patera Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93117, (805) 964-4767, www.directrelief.org.

International Aid, 17011 W. Hickory Spring Lake, MI 49456, (800) 968-7490, www.internationalaid.org.

International Medical Corps Tsunami Emergency Response, 1919 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 300, Santa Monica, CA 90404-1950, (800) 481-4462, www.imcworldwide.org.

International Relief Teams Asia Earthquake/Floods, 3547 Camino Del Rio South, Suite C, San Diego, CA 92108, (619) 284-7979, www.IRTeams.org.

International Rescue Committee, P.O. Box 5058, Hagerstown, MD 21741-9874, (877) REFUGEE (733-8433), www.theIRC.org.

Mercy Corps, an international coalition of humanitarian agencies, (888) 256-1900, www.mercycorps.org.

Oxfam America Asian Earthquake Fund, P.O. Box 1211 Albert Lea, MN 56007-1211, (800) 77-OXFAM, www.oxfamamerica.org.

Plan USA Asia Disaster, 155 Plan Way Warwick, RI 02886, (800) 556-7918, www.planusa.org.

Project Concern International Asia Tsunamis Press List, 5151 Murphy Canyon Road Suite 320 San Diego, CA 92123, (858) 279-9690, www.projectconcern.org.

Project HOPE Asia Tsunami Response, 255 Carter Hall Lane Millwood, VA 22646, (800) 544-4673, www.projecthope.org.

Save the Children Federation is seeking $5 million in private and public support for its emergency response through its Asia Earthquake/Tidal Wave Relief Fund. Contact (800) 728-3843 or www.savethechildren.org.

SAWSO (Salvation Army World Service Office) South Asia Relief Fund, 615 Slaters Lane Alexandria, VA, 22313, (800) SAL-ARMY.

Stop Hunger Now SE Asia crisis, 2501 Clark Ave, Suite 200 Raleigh, NC 27607, (888) 501-8440, www.stophungernow.org.

US Fund for UNICEF General Emergency Fund, 333 E. 38th St. New York, NY 10016, (800) 4-UNICEF, http://www.unicef.org/.

World Concern Asia Earthquake and Tsunami, 19303 Fremont Avenue North Seattle, WA 98133, (800) 755-5022 www.worldconcern.org.

World Emergency Relief, 2270-D Camino Vida Roble Carlsbad, CA 92009, (760) 930-8001, www.worldemergencyrelief.org.

World Vision, P.O. Box 70288 Tacoma, WA 98481-0288, (888) 56-CHILD www.worldvision.org.

Relief organizations with religious affiliations:

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc. DC-South Asia Tsunami Relief, P.O. Box 321 847A Second Ave. New York, NY 10017, (212) 885-0832, www.jdc.org.

American Jewish World Service, 45 W. 36th St., 10th Fl. New York, NY 10018, (212) 736-2597, www.ajws.org.

Baptist World Aid Asia Tidal Waves, 405 N. Washington St. Falls Church, VA 22046, (703) 790-8980, www.bwanet.org/bwaid.

B'nai B'rith International B'nai B'rith Disaster Relief Fund, 2020 K. St. N.W. 7th Floor Washington, DC 20006, (212) 490-3290, www.bnaibrith.org.

Catholic Relief Services, 209 W. Fayette St. Baltimore, MD 21201, (800) HELP-CRS, www.catholicrelief.org.

Christian Children's Fund Child Alert Fund, P.O. Box 26484 Richmond, VA 23261-6484, (800) 776-6767, www.ChristianChildrensFund.org.

Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) South Asia Earthquake, 2850 Kalamazoo Ave. S.E. Grand Rapids, MI, 49560, (800) 55-CRWRC, www.crwrc.org.

Church World Service, P.O. Box 968 Elkhart, IN 46515, (800) 297-1516, www.churchworldservice.org.

Latter-Day Saint Charities Welfare Services Emergency Response, 50 East North Temple Street, Room 701 Salt Lake City, Utah 84150-6800, (801) 240-3544, http://www.lds.org/ldsfoundation/welfare/0,7133,1325-1-9--cWELFAREPOSTER,00.html

Lutheran World Relief South Asia Tsunami, 700 Light St. Baltimore, MD 21230, (410) 230-2700, www.lwr.org.

MAP International, P.O. Box 215000 Brunswick, GA 31521, (800) 225-8550 www.map.org.

Mercy Corps Southeast Asia Earthquake Dept. W, P.O. Box 2669 Portland, OR 97208-2669, (800) 852-2100, www.mercycorps.org.

Operation USA, 8320 Melrose Ave. 200 Los Angeles, CA 90069, (800) 678-8876, www.opusa.org.

Virginia Tech faculty and staff have also submitted the following organizations:

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is responding as part of ACT (Action by Churches Together), a worldwide network of Christian churches and their related agencies for disaster response. Gifts by credit card can be made by calling PresbyTel at (800) 872 3283 or online at http://www.pcusa.org/pda. Checks are payable to Presbyterian Church (USA) and earmarked for tsunami assistance can also be given at any local Presbyterian church or mailed directly to: Presbyterian Church (USA), Individual Remittance Processing, P.O. Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700.

The Southern Baptist International Mission Board should be added to the list of organizations accepting donations for tsunami victims. Send gifts designated "Asia Earthquake Disaster Relief" to the International Mission Board, P.O. Box 6767, Richmond, VA 23230, or to give online, go to the International Mission Board's website, http://www.imb.org, and click on "Your Giving" and "Tsunami relief effort." All funds given will go to relief efforts; none will be used for administrative costs.

Provided as a public service by the Office of University Relations. The aid organization list was compiled from The Roanoke Times and The Wall Street Journal. We welcome additions, which should be sent to vtnews@vt.edu or unirel@vt.edu .