How can you help victims of the Haiti earthquake

According to Foreign Affairs Canada, the best way to help is to donate money – not clothing or food – to experienced humanitarian organizations, such as:

• Canadian Red Cross: Canadians are encouraged to support Red Cross relief efforts by making a financial donation to the Canadian Red Cross Haiti Earthquake fund. Donations can be made online at www.redcross.ca/helpnow, by calling toll free 1-800-418-1111 or at any Red Cross office.

• Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF or Doctors Without Borders): Donate to MSF's Emergency Relief Fund for Haiti

• Mission Aviation Fellowship of Canada (MAF): Donate online or call 1-877-351-9344

• ONEXONE Foundation: Rogers Wireless and Fido customers can text HELP to 1291 to donate $5 to The ONEXONE Foundation, which will pass 100 per cent of the proceeds to Partners in Health: Haiti and other Haitian relief organizations.

• Oxfam Canada requests that donations be made through the Humanitarian Coalition (Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Quebec, CARE, Save the Children Canada)

• Plan Canada

• Salvation Army: Donate online or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769). You can also mail donations to The Salvation Army Territorial Headquarters, Canada and Bermuda, 2 Overlea Blvd., Toronto, Ontario, M4H 1P4, or dropping off financial donations at the closest Salvation Army unit in your area. Donors should specify their gift to the Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief Fund. You can also text the word HAITI to 45678 from any Rogers Wireless, Bell Mobility, or TELUS Mobility phone. You can learn more about the Salvation Army's Text to Donate program by clicking here.

• UNICEF Canada

• World Vision Canada: Donations can be made online or by calling 1-800-387-5112.

IMPORTANT NOTICES

• Global viewers may have heard about other campaigns to help, but some of these are intended for U.S. residents only. One example includes Wyclef Jean's Haiti charity asking people to donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake fund by sending a wireless text message to 501501. As well, the American Red Cross says you can send a $10 donation by texting ‘Haiti’ to 90999, but again, these pitches are only for U.S. residents.

• Also, please be careful about who you're giving your money to. RCMP and government agencies are warning you that tragedies like this bring out scam artists who are preying on your generosity. The Better Business Bureau says it's up to you to make sure you know the agency you're donating to is legitimate.

• As well, several hoaxes are being spread through Twitter about certain companies offering Haiti relief. You may have seen this e-mail: "UPS is shipping anything under 50lbs for free to Haiti. You can send food, clothes or shoes... and American Airlines is taking doctors and nurses to Haiti for free. Please call 212-697-9767. Spread the word... Red Cross needs Creole speaking volunteers for a 24hr phone bank... Call Mr. Wilfrid @ 303-776-6900 ASAP... Please repost." This is a hoax.

"On Twitter," writes Debbie Curtis-Magley on the UPS Blog, "some have mistakenly shared a rumour that UPS will ship for free any package under 50 lbs. to Haiti. The destruction of roads and communications networks means our own shipping services to Haiti are on hold. Rather than offer free shipping to individual donors, UPS directs its aid through relief agencies." UPS is donating $1 million to help the people of Haiti through relief agencies, she said.

There is also no truth that American Airlines is offering free flights for medical personnel. "Last night's hoax on Twitter about American and JetBlue flying doctors and nurses to Haiti for free was just that -- a hoax," wrote American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith in an email quoted on CNN.com. "We don't know who is responsible, but it's a very low thing to do."

American Airlines and American Eagle did send three planes to Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital, carrying 30,000 pounds of water, food and other nonperishable goods for its more than 100 employees who work at the airport there and for assistance at Port-au-Prince hospitals, the airline said in a news release. "We've incentivized our 62 million AAdvantage members to give cash to Red Cross and receive bonus miles from us," Smith added. "We cannot fly any passengers to Haiti at this time and our efforts on the humanitarian front are as described above."

Facebook Groups Dedicated to the Earthquake Victims

• Earthquake Haiti (1)

• Earthquake Haiti (2)

• Support Victims of the Haiti Earthquake