Mexicali Relief

The Earthquake of Easter Sunday Was a 7.2

That's fucking huge. Large parts of Calexico, El Centro are damaged, but Mexicali was devastated.

Right now. Right the fuck now. We need help down here. We're not exotic like Haiti, or an emerging democracy like Chile, but there are over 50,000 homeless who are hungry.

The First United Methodist Church of El Centro has a food program for the homeless that they have kicked into bigtime service.

Rotary International has pledged to match any funds raised through the church.

Their Pastor, Ron Griffin, is a personal friend. This is front line service here. The money donated for Mexicali Relief ends up on the plates of people in Mexicali within hours.

Please. Every little bit will help.

The local firefighters of Calexico and El Centro along with the local sherriffs have all been their usual hero selves, making sure that what aid they can pull together gets across quickly.

The local Border Patrol has also been very instrumental in seeing that supplies and help get delivered.

Medicos Sin Fronteres has also done huge and thankless unnoticed service.

I'm heading back to the front. Please. Help us.

Updated 20100413 12n by Evan Robinson:

I hope Minstrel Boy will forgive my piggybacking here. Unlike Haiti or Chile, it's actually work to find ways to donate to the Mexican quake relief effort.

Here is a link to BorderAngels, who have dropoff sites "thoughout San Diego County and in Imperial Valley (San Diego, Chula Vista, Lemon Grove, Clairemont, Vista, Santee, Imperial Valley...)". Their main dropoff site is the Universalist Unitarian Church in Chula Vista. Other locations and phone numbers are on the site.

Here's another link to Direct Relief International. They seem to be a more indirect route, and in fact their personal donation page does not list Mexico, only Haiti and Chile.

The Red Cross is accepting donations, but once again their donation page only allows direct donation to Haiti and Chile. The best you can do for Mexico is either "Where the need is greatest" or the "international response fund".

Without further research, I'd send my money to BorderAngels.