How to help the earthquake victims of Haiti

Many people are asking how they can make donations to charities involved in earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. International charities are just beginning to ramp up their efforts. And if you're looking to give money to help these relief activities and are confused as to where to give, with the help of PBS and NPR, WQLN Public Media has compiled a list of some of the larger, established international aid organizations responding to the disaster:

• Erie General Electric Federal Credit Union
  The Erie General Electric Federal Credit Union (EGEFCU) has teamed up with the American Red Cross of Erie as their first-ever authorized "Donation Station".
  
  
• American Red Cross
  
• American Jewish World Service
  
• Americares
  
• CARE
  
• Catholic Relief Services
  
• Direct Relief International
  
• Doctors Without Borders
  
• International Committee of the Red Cross
  
• International Rescue Committee
  
• Mercy Corps
  
• Oxfam
  
• Partners in Health
  
• The Salvation Army
  
• Save the Children
  
• UNICEF
  
• World Food Programme
  

One of the ways some organizations are collecting donations is through text message. For example, you can text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to American Red Cross relief for Haiti, charged to your cell phone bill.

WQLN Public Media is not endorsing or vouching for any of these groups. The list is just a starting point for you and your own research. There are a number of online tools available for evaluating charities and making donations to a broader range of non-governmental organizations, including CharityNavigator.org and NetworkForGood.org.