Cash is Best
Cash offers the most flexibility in obtaining the most-needed resources. Financial donations allow louisiana VOAD member organizations to:
- Purchase supplies | Organizations can purchase resources such as food, water, medicine, and equipment from secure and familiar supply chains
- Buy materials locally | This can help rebuild the local economy.
- Conserve resources | Money is always necessary and cheap to send, but the cost to ship material supplies can be expensive.
It is IMPORTANT that you do not send or bring unsolicited donations.
In the early stages of the response phase, most organizations are unable to accommodate any material goods.
Material supplies such as used clothing, miscellaneous household items, and mixed or perishable food require helping agencies to redirect volunteer labor away from providing direct one-on-one assistance to sort, package, transport, warehouse, and distribute items that may not meet the needs of disaster survivors.
Unsolicited donations create a challenge of storage and sorting when focus is needed on response and recovery.