We have all watched the destruction that Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have wrought on Texas, Florida, the Caribbean islands, and other areas.

Similarly, in our own area, wildfires have impacted hundreds. Long term costs to rebuild after these natural disasters will surely be in the billions and will take many years to complete. In the short term, millions of people have been displaced, are without shelter, food, water, and other basic necessities. In many cases, these individuals will rely partially or totally on aid provided by non-governmental relief organizations; organizations that depend on large and small donations from individuals like you.

The Fresno State community has generously responded to past natural disasters such as hurricane Katrina and tsunamis that have struck across the Pacific. Surely, many in our community have already given to these relief efforts, but many others are unsure of the best ways to help. While the University will not be having official donation campaigns, we do urge everyone to help those whose lives have been devastated by recent events.

Before donating, please consider the following:

• There are dozens of relief organizations that are already responding to these disasters.
• Many of these organizations are reputable, but some are not.
• Carefully check an organization’s website and history before donating. Many are excellent stewards of donations, but some take high percentages of every donation for overhead and administrative charges. Organizations such as Charity Navigator provide impartial reviews of charitable organizations financial practices.
• Most organizations will allow you to designate where your funds will be spent, so your money goes to the area you want served.
• While there are many reputable relief organizations, several that are commonly cited by experts as being excellent stewards of relief service donations include:

1. American Red Cross
2. Catholic Charities USA
3. Save the Children
4. Samaritan’s Purse
5. Salvation Army
6. Direct Relief
7. Feeding America

An effort is underway to form a student organization that will regularly respond to these types of disasters locally, nationally and internationally. If you have an interest in being involved in such an effort, as a faculty/staff member, or as a student, please contact Chris Fiorentino in the Jan & Bud Richter Center at chrisf@csufresno.edu, or by calling 559.278.8848.