Haiti

Since first hearing about the earthquake in Haiti and the continuing stories of devastation that have been coming in daily, I've been struggling to decide whether or not to post anything about it here. At first, I wasn't planning on saying anything at all, but as I've read more and more about the amazing efforts of relief organizations, as well as the generosity of bloggers and crafters who have stepped up to help, I knew that I had to at least list some of these people here.

In the US: the Red Cross - You can donate $10 to the Red Cross’s earthquake relief efforts by texting “HAITI” to 90999. A fast and easy way to give, with the charge appearing on your next cell phone bill.

In Canada: The Government of Canada is matching everyone's donation between January 12 and February 12th, 2010. Click here to donate.

Charity Navigator: A website that can help you choose a charity or organization that is providing relief in Haiti - they analyze and rank charities according to their efficiency and effectiveness, helping you to decide where to send your money so that it's being used as effectively as possible. You can see the full list here.

Poppytalk: A Canadian design blog, which has a feature called Poppytalk Handmade - curated, monthly-themed marketplaces showcasing handmade and vintage goods from around the world. For their upcoming "Love Transforms" market, Poppytalk Handmade will be making a donation on behalf of their participants to Plan Canada. For more information and ideas, see Poppytalk's list of other organizations and artists in the handmade community who are also helping out in some way, here.

Zoetropa: A crafter and blogger who has a list on her blog of Etsy sellers who are donating either a portion or all of their proceeds to relief efforts, which you can find here. Also, she is going to donate 100% of the sales in her shop for the rest of January to UNICEF, to help the children in Haiti.

Indie Fixx: A lifestyle blog, which is having a daily silent auction of items donated by crafters. Here's how it works: each day, a new batch of items will be up on on Indie Fixx that you can bid on via the comments. You will be able to see everyone’s bids and rebid if you get outbid. The highest bidder will win the item and pledges the amount bid towards the Red Cross International Response Fund. The item will then be sent out in the mail to you from the artist, crafter or designer who donated it. Check out today's items here.

I know that this list is both brief and incomplete, but for anyone who is looking for a way to help, I hope that this gives you a good starting place.