On Tuesday, January 12th, I was knocked down from my birthday high when I learned a magnitude 7 earthquake had hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti. 3 million people were impacted in what has been called the small country’s biggest natural disaster in 250 years. Thousands of people have lost their lives and many more are in dire need of medical care and shelter.
I am half Haitian, so this story hit close to home…all I could think was, “What Can I Do to help?”
Aside from making donations, a handful of designers are creating items or contributing a portion of their sales to help the cause:
Etsy shop Peace Images…
… is donating a percentage of all sales this week to Wyclef’s foundation, Yele.
Fashion Philanthropy…
…is donating 100% of its profits to Haiti until the end of day on Friday.
For the next thirty days, 10% of the proceeds from the sale of The Scent of Peace by Bond No. 9…
…will go to The American Red Cross.
CafePress …
…is selling t-shirts, water bottles, and more, with proceeds going towards the U.N. Fund for UNICF.
And Zazzle…
…. is selling a bevy of t-shirts to go towards the Haitian Relief Fund.
If you know of anything else, leave a comment.
You can also donate directly to www.yele.org, www.redcross.org, www.hopeforhaiti.com, www.transformhaiti.org, or find a list of other organizations here or here. Not by a computer? Hop on your cell phone and Text YELE to 501501 to donate $5 via your cell phone or Text “HAITI” to “90999″ to make a $10 donation to the American Red Cross. Also, call this toll free number, 1-888-407-4747, to find information via the State Department regarding your family members in Haiti.
*Send clean used clothing, underwear, accessories, and blankets to Fashion Delivers. Products will begin arriving in Haiti by early next week so please call 212-629-6700 or email carla@fashiondelivers.org for drop-off information.
*In NYC? Fashion Bloggers for Haiti are coordinating an event. Find out more info here or follow them on twitter.
January 14, 2010 3:31 pm
Hi Claire long time no speak :) It’s interesting to learn that you are 1/2 Haitian as I am 100% Haitian so of course this issue also hits home for me. It’s even harder to deal with this because along with most 3rd generation Haitian Americans I have family that still lives in Haiti and I have no idea on their status. I don’t want to ramble on much on how I feel or what’s been mentioned on the news but what I’ve heard is foundations rather accept financial donations as it’s more needed. Again to enquire on family members people can continue to call 1-888-407-4747. My prayers go out to all that are in Haiti and those that are affected by this as well.
January 14, 2010 4:23 pm
Hi, I am also a Haitian blogger and I have been following your blog for a short while. I hope your family is safe and my prayers are with you and the whole country of Haiti. Lets stay strong. Thanks for posting this information, it will be very useful. God bless.
January 14, 2010 6:12 pm
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January 15, 2010 2:42 am
I hate when people do this – try to make a profit off of a tragedy. If you are a business, and you really want to help — just help (with your own cash) — stop trying to sell your products – claiming tha part of the sale will go to Haiti — everyone knows that’s bull sh*t !
If you really cared – you would be telling people to donate the money they were going to spend on your crap – directly to the Red Cross, or United Way, or World vision!
January 15, 2010 5:39 am
For the record, there’s a whole paragraph at the bottom of the post with alternative options to contribute (I listed Yele, Red Cross, etc). Every option is there, whether you want to buy something and have profits go to charity, or contribute directly. Hopefully all is in the spirit of positivity and helping Haiti.
January 15, 2010 9:53 am
I SAW ON THE NEWS,BE CAREFUL,WHO ONE GIVES 2 ,CAUSE SOME OF THEM ARE STEALING YO MONEY,SO I’M AFFRAID 2 GIVE,I WILL GIVE 2 THE “RED CROSS” THE “GOOD WILL” SOME BODY I KNOW IS DOING GOOD WITH THE MONEY,I’M A POOR PERSON,BUT I KNOW I GIVE $10.00 I’M NOT THAT “POOR” I KNOW ITS NOT MUCH,BUT IT’LL “HELP” SOMEBODY !!
January 15, 2010 11:16 am
My prayers go out to everyone in Haiti. I’ve been donating, offering kind words, and joining together with friends to see what we can do to help, but I can’t help but to feel helpess and over-privileged here. I hope to never complain about anything in my life because so many have so little in comparison. I haven’t been able to sleep through the night the past couple of days and I only have friends who have family there—I cannot imagine what I would do if I had family there or had gone through the tragedy. And everyday it appears to get worse. The one sign of hope is that now international focus is on Haiti and perhaps by the grace of God Haiti will rebuild and get the proper infrastructure and basic necessities we take for granted.
OK—now I’m rambling. May God bless everyone.
January 15, 2010 12:35 pm
Heyyyy thanks Claire!
I love your site. Been loving on it for over a year :)
I’m just glad I can connect my passion for jewelry with my passion for philanthropy.
I’ve been able to make several donations this week to Yele.org, and I will continue to do so.
Peace.
January 15, 2010 2:49 pm
i’m haitian as well and what’s going on in haiti is killing me. i can’t imagine being in the dark, with no food or water and practically no government. they are in a complete state of emergency. i hope everyone pulls together and helps haiti out of this tragedy to emerge a more cohesive country, so that when this happens again (and it will because haiti is on a fault line) the devastation won’t be so intense. i have donated through yele haiti, and they’re a reputable organization that has been working to get haiti to be more sustainable for years. i hope others donate as well, however they chose to do it.
January 15, 2010 4:40 pm
Omg PEACE IMAGES has amazing stuff! I def want to use them for my site for Etsy Pick of The Week. Great post! ;)
January 16, 2010 2:05 pm
Sierra,
I understand what you are saying, but I am in no way trying to get people to purchase from me instead of donating to a larger organization.
If you read my blog, I offer several organizations who are accepting donations; I also encourage folks to donate to Yele on their own.
I am simply saying that if you are going to buy from me, here’s where your money will go. I do not need to coax sales out of people. I do just fine without that :)
I am merely doing what I can. I commend you, though, for playing the role of the skeptic so well.
There is always one person who must turn a positive into a negative.
Blessings,
Camille
January 16, 2010 7:54 pm
Sak ap fet! I came across your blog a week ago, I can’t remember specifically how I landed on your page but just wanted to show some support.
January 16, 2010 8:53 pm
[...] Fashion For a Cause: Haitian Earthquake Relief « The Fashion Bomb … [...]
January 18, 2010 5:37 pm
This is great, thanks! I just donated. God Bless Haiti.
January 25, 2010 1:15 am
Hi,
I just saw three of my designs on this site. Please visit for the latest!
Profit to Haiti, Thanks!
http://www.zazzle.com/haitirelief