If you’re like me, and you’re feeling completely devastated and helpless about the destruction that Hurricane Dorian has left in the beautiful Bahamas, you might be looking for ways you can help.

I’ve been gathering information throughout the last few days to compile a list of reputable sources you can donate to. I will continue to update this post as I come across more.

CARE PACKAGES:

I first came across the calls for care packages from Tarea Sturrup (Miss Bahamas Universe 2019) on Twitter (@txrxxbxxncx), and after asking what items they needed most, this was her response - “Survival supplies like batteries, flashlights, small generators to charge phones. Sanitary and feminine items, adult diapers, canned goods, clothing, shoes, to name a few”. There is also a pinned tweet on @daynajclk’s timeline with lots of great info.

I’ve put together an Amazon List with a bunch of the above suggestions, to make it easy for you to purchase straight from there, and the supplies will be automatically shipped to the Grand Bahamas Port Authority address (first one on the list below).

There are multiple price points for you to choose from, and I’ve put the needed quantity at 10 for each item on the list. Obviously, the need is far greater than that, and I’d love nothing more than to FAR exceed those numbers. Let’s make an impact together!

Here are a few more of the places accepting care packages.

GRAND BAHAMA PORT AUTHORITY IN FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA

Grand Bahama Port Authority c/o Fowlco

3301 S Andrews Ave, Unit 5&6

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

BAHAMAS CONSULATE IN MIAMI, FLORIDA

Bahamas Consulate General

100 N Biscayne Blvd, Suite 900

Miami, FL 33132

BAHAMAS CONSULATE IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA

Bahamas Consulate General

2970 Clairmont Road NE, Suite #290

Atlanta, Georgia 30329

UMCOR - UNITED METHODIST COMMITTEE ON RELIEF:

UMCOR is the humanitarian relief and development arm of The United Methodist Church, and you can donate domestically or internationally. You can also be assured that 100% of your advance donations will go straight to the affected areas. UMCOR is known for being one of the very first organizations on the ground after a disaster, as well as one of the last ones to leave. You can donate internationally right here and keep up with news on their Facebook page right here.

BAHAMIAN RED CROSS:

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the American Red Cross and their distribution of funds to recent natural disasters, which is why I was pleasantly surprised to find out there is a Bahamian branch of the Red Cross, which should assure that the funds go directly to the Bahamian people without any red tape. You can donate here.

HEADKNOWLES EMERGENCY FUNDS:

I hadn’t heard of this organization before today, and if you haven’t either - here’s a little background, straight from their GoFundMe page..

“What started out as a small group of people on the Facebook page HeadKnowles, founded by myself, Lia Head and Gina Knowles, has now become a movement fueled by people eager to give back. We have managed over $2M in relief funds Hurricane Joaquin relief in 2015. Once again in 2016, we established a committed group of volunteers who worked tirelessly to assist those devastated during Hurricane Matthew for Ragged Island, North Andros, Grand Bahama and New Providence. In that effort, which is still ongoing, we have managed over $4mil to date.”

You can read more about exactly what they plan to do to help out (including exactly what they’ll be using the funds for) and donate right here on their GoFundMe page.

WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN:

Founded by Chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen has already set up multiple emergency kitchens in the Bahamas, and is ready to provide meals as soon as it’s safe. You can stay up to date with news from WCK here, and donate here.

SANDALS FOUNDATION:

Thank you to @debbieannwhite for bringing this one to my attention! You can visit their website to donate. This is another organization that will give 100% of the donated funds directly to those in need.

Please consider a donation to any of these organizations, and help spread the word by sharing the link to this post, reposting on Instagram, or retweeting via Twitter.

If you are not able to donate financially, spreading the word is a wonderful and generous way to help! Thank you in advance!

XO, CHRISTEN

This post will continue to be updated as I discover more ways to help. Please comment below or send me a DM on Instagram if you know of an organization that needs to be added to this list.

HOW TO HELP THE BAHAMAS AFTER HURRICANE DORIAN