The effects of the massive earthquakes on Feb. 6 and 20 that devastated Turkey and Syria have prompted many New Jerseyans to step up and help out. If you’d like to do your part, consider donating to one of these relief efforts:
Embrace Relief, based in Fairfield, is collecting money to provide supplies such as food, tents, blankets and coats. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, they delivered trucks of ready-to-eat meals to people in the disaster zone, with the first truck arriving within 48 hours of the initial earthquake. They sent a total of six food trucks (and an additional truck with other needed supplies, like toiletries, diapers and paper towels) to Hatay, Malatya, Gaziantep and Adiyaman. They also provided more than 2,500 food packages to people in Turkey, designed to last a family at least 1-2 weeks, packed with nearly 30 pounds of food and cooking materials. In Syria, their partner organizations are asking for items for kids including clothes, shoes, milk and diapers, as well as feminine hygiene products. They are trying to provide monetary assistance to cover rent and furniture costs for people who have temporarily moved to a new city because of the earthquake. In the interim they are providing tents as temporary shelters. They are also concentrating on providing homes for displaced people in smaller rural villages who cannot abandon their farms and livestock.
The Jersey City Office of Cultural Affairs and Poet Laureate of Jersey City, Ann E. Wallace, will host “Poetry of Crisis and Community,” a Women’s History Month poetry reading to benefit the earthquake relief efforts through Doctors Without Borders. It will be held at Froth on Franklin from 7-9 pm March 2.
At Istanbul Cafe and Restaurant in Clifton you can drop off winter clothing, over-the-counter meds, blankets, tents, sleeping bags and pocket warmers to the restaurant and they will be delivered to the Turkish Consulate in New York and then sent to the affected areas. Place your items in clear bags and provide an itemized list of the contents of the bag. The in-kind donations will be sent to Turkey through Turkish Airlines.
Michael Duru Clothiers in Shrewsbury set up a GoFundMe page to help the people in their home country of Turkey. Some of the beneficiaries will be AKUT, a search and rescue organization in Turkey, and Red Crescent Cross, part of The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
New Jersey Community Development Corporation is assisting Jennifer Aydin, a member of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” who is Turkish American, in her efforts to support residents of Paterson, which has both large Turkish and Syrian populations, through helping families on their home countries. Their donations will go through NJ Earthquake Relief Fund.
Peace Islands Institute of Hasbrouck Heights, which was founded by Turkish Americans, initially held a vigil after the first earthquake. Their part in supporting overseas comes through Embrace Relief.
PORTX, a trucking company in Carlstadt, is collecting money and supplies that will be sent to the area via land and sea. Much-needed supplies include winter coats, gloves and headgear; sleeping bags; tents; thermal blankets; baby products, formula and diapers; feminine hygiene products; over-the-counter medication for flu, cold and pain; folding camping beds; flashlights or tent lights; pockets warmers; and Thermos bottles.
Swasia, based in Wayne, was initially established in 2012 to help victims of the Syrian war but has switched gears to earthquake relief. Emergency response will cover food baskets, cooked meals, blankets, heating supplies, medical consumables, and many other necessities in Northern Syria.
Turkish Cultural Center NJ of Wayne took part in the vigil held by Peace Islands Institute. They, too, are contributing their donations to the cause through Embrace Relief.
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Ways Your Family Can Give Back
