BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) –Below is a list of official organizations taking donations for flood victims and events that are being held to raise money for flood relief.
The BBB offers the following tips when donating money to organizations in times of need:
Be cautious about giving online. If you are seeking to give to a charity involved in relief efforts, go directly to the charity’s website.
Be careful when relying on third-party recommendations, such as bloggers or other websites. They might have failed to fully research the listed relief organization.
Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations will assist victims. Despite what an organization might claim, charities have fundraising and administration costs. Even a credit card donation will involve, at minimum, a processing fee.
Find out if the “charity” has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted area. See if the charity’s website clearly describes what it can do to address immediate needs. Charities that do not already have staff in the affected area may not be able to provide assistance quickly
Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups. If so, you may want to consider “avoiding the middleman” and give directly to charities that have a presence in the devastated area.
Do not give cash, but pay by check or credit card. Do not make a check payable to an individual – always make out your check to the charity.
For more information about “wise giving,” go to geauxbbb.org or www.give.org
NOTE: Click here for a list of official organizations taking monetary donations for flood victims and coordinating volunteers for flood relief.
NOTE: Click here for a list of official organizations taking monetary donations for animal rescue groups.
EVENTS:
EXTENDED FUNDRAISING EVENTS:
Louisiana PTA is holding an online book fair from Sept. 1-15. Money raised will be used to purchase books for both school libraries and families. Those who participate in the book fair can choose to send the books they purchase to the Louisiana PTA for distribution to flood-affected schools and students, or keep the books they purchase and have them shipped to their home. You can participate in the book fair by giving books and money, or by giving money and that will go to purchasing new books for schools and students in need. Details can be found by clicking here.
Support Denham Springs High School at Barnes & Noble-Citiplace in Baton Rouge, LA. In an effort to raise funds for their flood recovery, DSHS is working together with Barnes & Noble Booksellers by hosting a Bookfair at the Citiplace store. Between Friday September 9-Sunday September 11, Barnes & Noble will contribute a percentage of every sale made with a special Bookfair voucher to Denham Springs High School. Vouchers will be available online at DSHS’s facebook page. You can also shop in support of Denham Springs High School by shopping online at www.bn.com/bookfairs from 9/9-9/13 and include the Bookfair voucher ID on the payment page during checkout.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 14:
All Greater Baton Rouge-area Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers restaurants will donate 100% of net proceeds to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation’s Flood Relief Fund to benefit flood recovery throughout south Louisiana. All 21 Greater Baton Rouge restaurants, including those in Hammond, are participating in the fundraising effort. Additionally, six Acadiana restaurants will participate in the fundraiser benefiting Greater Acadiana United Way Disaster Fund and Second Harvest Food Bank of Acadiana. For the Raising Cane’s nearest you, visitraisingcanes.com.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 18:
Red Stick Revival – A celebration supporting musicians affected by the floods benefiting the Southeast Louisiana Musicians Flood Relief Fund. The event will be held at the Varsity Theatre in Baton Rouge from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. Tickets are available for purchase here. The Fund is administered by Preservation Hall Foundation. To donate, to apply for funding, and for more information please visit http://www.preshallfoundation.org/selamusiciansrelieffund. Want a free ticket? Volunteer for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation service day in the link above. Presented by: Preservation Hall Foundation, Aaron Scruggs, and The Varsity Theatre. Featuring musical performances by:
Big Freedia
GIVERS
Pell
Preservation Hall All Stars
Boyfriend
Alabaster Stag
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 21:
Participate in the Helping Hands International Peace One Day to raise money for Baton Rouge flood relief. Lots of local artwork will be raffled off at the event. Tickets are $5 each. The event will be held at the River Room at 222 Laurel St. at 6 p.m.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 25:
The BAYOU Buick GMC Dealers, The RV Shop, Comfort Control Heating & Air, and Realtor Kelly Temple present present the Red Stick-Together Flood Relief Concert. The event begins at 3 p.m. at Repentance Park in downtown Baton Rouge and is free. No ice chests will be permitted on the grounds as there will be plenty of food and drinks available. For more information, contact Scott Innes at (225) 456-3082 or email scottinnes1015@hotmail.com.
MONETARY DONATIONS:
All of the fundraising sites included in this list have been verified as legitimate efforts.
100 BLACK MEN: The 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge has established a relief fund to help supply youth and families affected by the ongoing flooding in the Southern Louisiana region. You can join this effort and help by donating athttp://www.100blackmenbr.org/about/fundraisers/.
AARP: Foundation President Lisa Marsh Ryerson announced that AARP Foundation has created a relief fund to help the victims – especially those over 50 – of the historic flooding that ravaged Louisiana. AARP will match contributions, dollar for dollar, up to $250,000 for the fund, which will provide relief and recovery support to victims. To donate and learn more about the AARP Foundation Louisiana Floods Relief Fund, please visit www.aarp.org/disasterrelief.
ALBERTSONS: Is matching donations up to $300,000. Details here. To help victims of the devastating and historic flooding, WAFB Channel 9 and Albertsons are working together to raise funds for the American Red Cross Louisiana Flood Relief efforts.
ASSOCIATED PROFESSIONAL EDUCATORS OF LOUISIANA (A+PEL) is seeking donations for teachers support in areas devastated by flooding. Visit http://www.apeleducators.org
BATON ROUGE AREA FOUNDATION: BRAF has a relief fund that assists nonprofits responding to flooding across the state. People can make donations online at braf.org. Donations to the Louisiana Flood Relief Fund are tax deductible.
BATON ROUGE BALLET THEATRE (BRBT): Those interested in donating dance supplies to BRBT’s Dancer Relief Fund are encouraged to contact the BRBT office at (225) 766-8379. Monetary donations can be made online at www.batonrougeballet.org/donation-form.
CAPITAL AREA UNITED WAY: Capital Area United Way is accepting donations to help with long-term recovery. Text LAFLOOD to 313131 or http://www.cauw.org/donate.
DENHAM SPRINGS: Monetary donations, in the form of financial funds are needed at this time to help DSLTRC provide support to flood survivors. Funds will be distributed in the form of gift cards, emergency housing, emergency transportation and/or building materials to meet immediate and long-term needs. To make a tax-deductible gift to flood survivors, go towww.GreatFloodDS.com and follow the link on the homepage under GIVE. Mailed donations may be sent to:
Denham Springs Long-Term Recovery Committee
P.O. Box 1644; Denham Springs, LA 70727-1644
Attn: Denham Springs Long-Term Recovery Fund
EBR Council on Aging: Is taking donations specifically to help the elderly. Donations can be made at http://ebrcoa.org/, or can be sent to 5790 Florida Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70806. For more information call 225-923-8000
FOUNDATION FOR LOUISIANA: The foundation is ready to help, with contributions to the Strategic Flood Response Fund, to provide assistance for both relief and immediate recovery efforts. Donation options are available on the homepage of their website atwww.foundationforlouisiana.org. All money donated will be directed solely toward disaster relief and recovery efforts. You can also donate directly here.
LEXLEE’S KIDS: Lexlee’s Kids is a Baton Rouge, a LA-based non-profit organization dedicated to serving the community through safety education, is taking donations of car seats and portable cribs. They have set up a GoFundMe page for donations as well. For more information, visit theirFacebook page or website.
LOUISIANA HOSPITALITY FOUNDATION: Accepting monetary donations to help those who work in the hospitality industry rebuild after being affected by the recent floods. You can make a donation online at http://www.louisianahospitalityfoundation.org/donate or send a check payable to the Louisiana Hospitality Foundation to: Louisiana Hospitality Foundation, P.O. Box 24046, New Orleans, LA 70184.
PARISH PARCEL: 100 percent of the money made from the sale of a specially designed t-shirt will go towards United Way of Acadiana. The shirt, depicting a common sight of sliced drywall, represents the over 50,000 homes in Louisiana that were destroyed by rising floodwaters. It is also symbolic of the resilient people of Louisiana working together to rebuild in spite of so much loss. In addition, the September box shipped out by Parish Parcel, a monthly subscription service offering curated boxes of Louisiana goods based out of Lafayette, will include Baton Rouge made products. The company will donate a portion of proceeds to the Capitol Area United Way. The public can purchase the t-shirts and sign up for the subscription service atwww.parishparcel.com.
PROJECT 70805 FLOOD RELIEF: Funds raised through here will be used to purchase the items listed on the website and donated to the shelters currently housing displaced residents. One hundred percent of funds raised will go towards disaster relief and all donations are tax deductible.” http://project70805.org/floodrelief/
REBIRTH FUND: The Rebirth Fund was created to provide small grants to support the thousands of small businesses impacted by flooding. Eligible small businesses must be located within one of the 20 parishes included in the federal disaster declaration area, have 50 or fewer employees, and have been in business on Aug. 10, 2016. Those interested in contributing to the Louisiana Small Business Rebirth Fund are encouraged to visit www.LaBizRebirth.org for additional information.
RED CROSS: To donate, visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word LAFLOODS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to, and help people recovery from these disasters. For any other questions about donations, visit http://www.redcross.org/faq/.
SALVATION ARMY: Financial contributions may be made online at:www.salvationarmybr.org or give.salvationarmyusa.org/gulf_coast_floods. You can call 1 (800) SAL-ARMY for more information. You can text your donation to STORM to 51555 or email to give In-Kind donations: SAflooddonations@gmail.com. Checks may be mailed to The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 15467, Baton Rouge, La. 70895
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S GULF COAST DISASTER RELIEF FUND: Accepting donations to help protect children and support immediate needs of families affected by flooding. They can be sentonline.
SECOND HARVEST DISASTER RESPONSE: Second Harvest Food Bank is responding with thousands of pounds of food, water, and cleaning supplies to flood victims in Tangipahoa Parish, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge. You can make a donation here. Dirty Coast in New Orleans is also selling t-shirts to support the cause. All proceeds of the “Carry the Baton” merchandise will go straight to Second Harvest Disaster Response. Those shirts can be purchased here.
ST. AMANT BAND: The St. Amant High Band is starting off the school year without instruments and they are now looking for help to rebuild their program. During the storm, the school flooded. The band room took on at least two feet of water with hundreds of instruments stuck inside. They have set up a fundraising page on YouCaring for anyone who would like to help. For more information, click here.
ST GEORGE FIREFIGHTERS: Close to a third of the employees of St. George Fire Protection District have experienced loss of home and property as a result of the Great flood of 2016. This GoFundMe account has been verified as a legitimate campaign that was created by a St. George firefighter with the permission of the union. All funds generated from this campaign will go directly to those firefighters affected by flooding. Click here to donate.
UNITED WAY OF SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA: For those who would like to make a donation to directly impact flood relief you may go to the following site: http://www.unitedwaysela.org/flood. To donate by check, please make it payable to United Way of Southeast Louisiana. Write Flood Relief in the memo line and mail to: United Way of Southeast Louisiana ATTN: Flood Relief, 2515 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119.
YMCA OF BATON ROUGE: The C.B. Pennington Jr YMCA took in about three feet of flood water on Sunday, August 14. Jacobs estimates a total loss of about $2.5 million. The facility had an estimated value of roughly $11 million.Monetary donations can be made online at ymcabr.org with the following notation with your contribution: “Louisiana Flood 2016.” Checks can be made payable to YMCA of the Capital Area, earmarked “Louisiana Flood 2016.”
UNIVERSITIES:
LSU EMPLOYEES: The Baton Rouge Area Foundation has established the LSU Employee Assistance Fund to help LSU employees who are affected by disasters and hardships such as the recent flood. Those wishing to donate to the Employee Assistance Fund can visithttp://www.employees1st.org/lsu for more information.
LSU STUDENTS: Can register to volunteer through their MyLSU account. Information for those affected and those who would like to help will be updated on www.lsu.edu/floodrelief. People interested in donating to students affected by the storm should go to www.lsufoundation.org/floodrelief, which now has information for students and for employees, including helpful links for basic questions and other services.
NICHOLLS FOUNDATION: The Nicholls Foundation is sponsoring an online crowd-sourcing campaign titled the ‘Nicholls Emergency Flood Relief’ to assist affected students. With an initial goal of $10,000, the fundraiser began Wednesday, Aug. 17 and will close Aug. 31. Any funds raised that are not claimed will be used to establish savings for future emergencies. Students impacted by the flood can call the Office of Student Affairs at (985) 448-4022 for more information. To donate visit nicholls.edu/relief or send a check to the University Advancement Office.
SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY: Donate here https://netcommunity.sus.edu/pages/flood-relief-fund. The Southern University System Foundation, in cooperation with the University administration, has established the Southern University Flood Relief Fund, to provide assistance to University students and employees that have been significantly impacted by historic area flooding.
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT LAFAYETTE: The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is launching an initiative to help students who need financial assistance for the fall semester in the aftermath of historic flooding in much of south Louisiana. All gifts to the University Annual Fund received by Sept. 30 will directly help students who are coping with flood-related challenges to continue pursuing their educational goals this year. Priority will be given to students whose attendance is at risk because of these unexpected expenses.
Students will be able to make requests for assistance online. A committee will review the requests and determine how the funds raised will be disbursed. Donations to the University Annual Fund can be made online, by mail or by phone. To contribute online, go toullafayettefoundation.org/giving/annualfund.
Checks made payable to the UL Lafayette Foundation should be mailed to: UL Lafayette Foundation, P.O. Box 44290, Lafayette, LA 70504. Please note on the memo line: Student Emergency Relief or call the UL Lafayette Foundation at (337) 482-0700 to give by credit card.
ADDITIONAL RELATED STORIES:
Links to resources for flood victims, those who want to help
How and what you can salvage
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