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Released 11 March 2011
Monetary Donations
Encouraged
Japan - Early Friday morning, a tsunami
slammed Japan’s eastern coast following a large earthquake which rocked the
region. Early reports indicate extensive
damage to property and significant loss of life.
Salvation
Army personnel are assessing the damage and initiating recovery efforts. Word has been received from Japan’s
Territorial Commander, Commissioner Makoto Yoshida. The Commissioner writes,
“It is reported that
there are more than 60 dead confirmed so far and many more missing. The number
of houses destroyed are not yet known.
The most damaged city is Sendai which is about 400 km away from Tokyo. Still
our building swayed tremendously. It was hard for us to keep standing. Many of
us were really frightened.
We are sending a team to Sendai tonight and start tomorrow providing the basic
necessities as well as assessing the level of damages and what we can do from
now on.
Even in Tokyo the whole public transports stopped and many a commuters could
not go home. We opened our hall on the ground floor of THQ building to those
who could not go home. We were able to serve them with hot drinks and packed
meals.
Thank you for your interest and prayers.”
Currently,
those interested in aiding the relief effort are encouraged to give monetary
donations. Monetary funds offer great
flexibility and enable local disaster responders to purchase exactly what is
needed as close to the disaster zone as possible.
There are four ways people can
contribute money to The Salvation Army's disaster relief efforts in Japan:
- Text the words “Japan” or
“Quake” to 80888 to make a $10 donation.
- By phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY
- On-line at:
www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org.
- By mail: Send your check, marked
“Japan earthquake relief” to
The Salvation Army World Service Office
International Relief Fund
PO Box 630728
Baltimore,
MD 21263-072800
At this
time, The Salvation Army is not accepting in-kind donations from the general
public for disaster relief operations in Japan.
Bear in
mind, it will be extremely difficult and expensive to ship in-kind donations
overseas from the United States to Japan. It is more efficient for disaster relief agencies to purchase needed
resources locally and for immediate distribution with the disaster area. The best way for U.S. donors to help Japanese
disaster survivors is to make a cash donation. Please note that your local The Salvation Army continues to accept
donations of used clothing, furniture and other items to support local
programming. Please consider donating
your used items to your local Salvation Army Thrift Store.
Since
1895, The Salvation Army has provided emotional, spiritual, and physical care
to individuals and families in need throughout Japan. Currently, 81 active officers and 1,068
employees operate 57 church and community centers (Corps), 12 small social service
stations (outposts), 2 hospitals, and more than 20 institutions serving
children, seniors, the addicted, and other at-risk populations. Due to the Army’s extensive presence, it is
unlikely that volunteers from the United States will be needed for initial
recovery operations.
About The Salvation Army
The
Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church
established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without
discrimination for 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans
receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array
of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for
disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill,
clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged
children. 82 cents of every dollar spent is used to carry out those services in
5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.