On Monday, October 9th, Rooster will be 13 years old (probably… maybe?) and I’ll officially be 26 (as far as I’ve been told) then. As he’s a rescue, we don’t know for sure when Rooster’s birthday is or how old he is exactly. But many estimate that he’s about 13 now and I decided that he would share my birthday a few years ago. We’re celebrating all weekend with naps, treats, and time with friends but if you’d like to support or celebrate Rooster and I, there are a few organizations we’d love help supporting. Some are animal related and others are helping those impacted by all the natural disasters that have happened over the last few months.
- The Hispanic Federation and their UNIDOS Disaster Relief Fund, the funds of which go to help hurricane and earthquake related needs in Puerto Rico and Mexico. If you’re in NYC or the state of New York, there are ways to donate physical goods to those impacted by the hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico.
- United for Puerto Rico – this initiative was started in part by the First Lady of Puerto Rico, Beatriz Rosselló and collaborates with those in the private sector.
- The Seattle Humane Society – like many humane societies and shelters around the country, the Seattle Humane Society has been taking in animals who’ve been displaced by a natural disaster
- The SPCA of Texas (located in Dallas, Texas) and the Houston SCPA
- TWRC Wildlife Center – this is a nonprofit that works to promote environmental and wildlife conservation through education and wildlife rehabilitation. This is where the famous Harvey the hurricane hawk ended up!
- Topos Mexico – this is a multidisciplinary group that’s trained to deal with national and international disasters (like the earthquakes that hit Mexico). The group was founded after the devastating 1985 earthquake hit Mexico and have helped to rescue people from collapsed buildings.
- Dominica Hurricane Maria Relief Fund – Dominica is just one of the many islands hit by the several hurricanes to occur this year and the country’s High Commission set up this relief fund to help aid those on the island who’ve been affected.
These are just some of the many organizations and groups that are helping those affected by the numerous recent natural disasters. For more information and organizations to support those who’ve been affected by the hurricanes and earthquakes:
- How to help Puerto Rico and other islands after Hurricane Maria – Niraj Chokshi, The New York Times
- Survivors of Hurricane Maria desperately need aid – Bethany Hines, CNN
- How to help Puerto Rico: 12 effective ways to donate money – Mahita Gajanan, Time
- How To Help The Victims Of The Central Mexico Earthquake – Carla Herreria, HuffPost
- Charity Navigator’s ways to help those affected by Hurricane Maria
- Charity Navigator’s ways to help those affected by the earthquakes in Mexico
- Here are some ways you can help the victims of Hurricane Harvey – Marykate Jasper, The Mary Sue (this is a little over a month old now but like I said, it might take months and years to really rebuild)
Many of these natural disasters hit the affected regions weeks ago but because of their magnitude, it’ll take some time for many of these places to rebuild and regain normalcy. Many of the organizations that I’ve listed are ones that are either on the ground or in the community or started by those who’ve been started by folks who’ve been affected in some way. Organizations like the American Red Cross have been great at mobilizing large amounts of folks for various things but have been criticized over the last few years at how they execute relief aid.