Lebanon
Several area churches and businesses have begun to collect donations for those in need, with others saying they’ll soon follow suit.
In Lebanon, the United Methodist Church is running an ongoing collection for the victims of Harvey. Any money collected will be donated to the United Methodist Committee on Relief, or UMCOR, which operates aid efforts around the world, according to Rev. Becca Girrell.
“The wonderful thing about UMCOR is that all of the administrative overhead costs of that organization are borne by the denomination through the support of local churches,” Girrell said in an email on Tuesday. “This means that 100 percent of the contributions received for a particular disaster relief effort go to that relief aid.”
People can donate to the church’s efforts by sending or bringing a check payable to Lebanon United Methodist Church with “Hurricane Harvey” in the memo line to Lebanon UMC, 18 School St., Lebanon, NH 03766. Other Methodist congregations also are accepting contributions, Girrell said.
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Upper Valley in Norwich also will be accepting donations alongside its regular contributions to the Upper Valley Haven, said Sparrow Alden, who directs the church’s education programs.
“The easiest thing to send right now is money because we’re so far away,” Alden said on Tuesday, adding that the church will collect for the next several weeks for Harvey victims.
Officials at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Hanover and the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College said their current collections go toward groups aiding disaster relief around the world. Local catholic churches soon will be collecting as well through Catholic Charities USA, according to Tom Bebbington, a spokesman at the Diocese of Manchester.
Some area businesses said on Tuesday that they intend to revive donation efforts from 2005, when the Gulf Coast was hit by Hurricane Katrina.
Curt Jacques, the owner of West Lebanon Feed and Supply, said the store soon will bring back Cause for Paws, which sent food to dogs and cats after the natural disaster.
That effort raised $20,000 at Jacques’ store alone, and was joined by 350 stores throughout the Northeast. Blue Seal Feeds Inc., a Londonderry, N.H.-based pet food company, partnered with West Lebanon Feed and Supply, matching its contribution and delivering truckloads of food to the Gulf.
“The people of the Upper Valley were just so incredible the last time; we think they’ll come through again this year,” Jacques said.
He said the new donation effort likely will begin on Friday and run for 10 days. A pet food company hasn’t been found to partner with yet, Jacques said, but he’s hoping to find one close to the Houston area.
New Hampshire restaurant chain The Common Man also said it intends to donate part of its proceeds to the American Red Cross.
On Wednesday, 25 percent of the food sales at the company’s 15 locations across the state will be donated, according to its website. Donations also can be made inside the restaurants at the host stand.
Officials at Dartmouth College said there is no current effort at the school to raise money, but it’s likely one will begin as students return to Hanover from the summer break. In 2005, a coalition of students, faculty and alumni raised $100,000 for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
“All students from the Houston area, including members of the Class of 2021, have been contacted and some are making arrangements to arrive later than originally planned,” college spokeswoman Diana Lawrence said in an email.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock plans to take part in relief, and is awaiting direction from the American Hospital Association on how best to deliver aid, said hospital spokesman Josh McElveen.
Each of the two Twin States’ governors also pledged support to victims this week.
“Vermont stands ready to lend support and the knowledge gained through our experience recovering from Irene,” Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said in a statement marking the sixth anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu gave blood on Tuesday. He previously had encouraged others, via Twitter, to contribute to the Red Cross.
“God bless the great state of Texas. Help those in need by donating to @RedCross today,” he tweeted on Sunday.
People also can contribute to the aid efforts of several national and local organizations on the ground.
Those looking to donate to the Red Cross can do so by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
The Salvation Army is collecting funds at www.helpsalvationarmy.org or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY. The United Way is accepting donations at www.uwtexas.org/hurricane-harvey or by texting UWFLOOD to 41444.
Donations also can be made to Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Texas at www.spca.org, the SPCA of Louisiana at www.la-spca.org, the Houston Humane Society at www.houstonhumane.org and the Humane Society of Louisiana at news.humanela.org.
On Monday, New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon MacDonald cautioned against donating to unfamiliar charities. Instead, he said, people should give to organizations that have a “track record of service.”
“Unfortunately, every time a disaster strikes, there are scam artists who take advantage of people’s good intentions and set up fake appeals to assist those in need,” MacDonald said in a news release.
Before giving to large charities, MacDonald said, people can research their reputation using the websites Charity Navigator, the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance or GuideStar.
People also should avoid online giving sites GoFundMe, CrowdRise or YouCaring unless they know the person raising money, he said.
“You cannot be sure that your gift will be used as intended,” MacDonald said of the personal sites. “Plus, donations to individuals are not tax deducible.”
If anyone receives a call or email requesting a donation, he said, do not give on the spot. Research the organization before giving and do not give out credit card information over the phone, MacDonald said.
Anyone with questions is asked to call the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-888-468-4454.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.