**12/1/09 Update: Click here to see where your donations go.**
A day or two after the typhoon drowned Manila, my friend Emma announced she was starting a fundraiser to help the victims of the typhoon.
With some of my Filipino buds in Baguio, Philippines
Over the next week I spoke to about 15 of my Filipino friends who live in Manila to see how things were going.
Some of the stories they told me are crazy — water chest high in their houses, being stranded for days without food, and probably the worst is that some people lost completely everything except for their lives.
I wanted to get involved with a relief effort to help out these victims.
There’s an urgent need to get them rice and water. Last I checked, the number of flood victims stood over 80,000.
It’s not practical to send rice and water over from the U.S. — a much better way is to send money so they can buy rice and water.
Anything helps. Especially if we get enough small donations from a ton of people. You can call the Red Cross or you can donate through this site.
10/17/09 UPDATE: For one of the two relief groups we're working with in Manila, every $15 donation gets a victim one of these "Ondoy" survival kits.
The first round of funds we raise (my goal is $1,000) will be sent to two different local relief groups in Manila — one in Ortigas Center and the other in Makati.
The most likely use of the funds will be toward rice and water — but the reality is the money will be used for whatever need is most immediate at the time we send it.
I’ll post updates that include the details of where the funds go (and hopefully some photos so we can see our support in action).
I really appreciate any help anyone can offer and I know my Filipino friends do too.
-Greg
You can write me here:
Greg Patrick
1311 Exposition Blvd Apt 2
Austin, Tx 78703
Call me here:
512-850-8281
Or email me here:
Greg [at] SocialDonating.org