What's a girl to do?

So there I am, still sitting on my bed wondering what on earth I could do to help. I mean sure I could donate money, and that's what all the news sources were telling me to do, but frankly I'm broke. I just got out of college in the midst of a financial crisis and I'm a part-time server at Steak n' Shake.

I cracked open my laptop and got to work. Luckily Google had a list of major non-profits that were providing aid in Haiti. These included well known organizations including Doctors Without Borders (DWB), UNICEF, and Partners in Health. There were also a number of organizations I had never heard of like Lambi Fund and Yele Haiti. I immediately starting making phone calls, and despite the painfully long wait times, for the most part I got to speak with a real live person.

Knowing their time was extremely valuable and their resources were probably stretched to the max, I tried my best to keep it short.

"Hi my name is Emily. Do you know where I can submit non-monetary donations such as medical supplies? Do you know what kind of supplies are needed most at this time? Do you have any suggestions for where I might find more information?"

Most of them politely declined the donations, citing the fact that the earthquake destroyed the infrastructure necessary to sort and distribute these resources. I must say that I was incredibly impressed with both UNICEF and DWB. Both of these organizations returned my phone call within 24 hours.

DWB put me in touch with their Assistant Procurement Director. He let me know that they would be accepting gauze, tape, and bandages, but only large pallets would be accepted. He also told me that I could have them shipped to their office in LA and they would finish the transfer to doctors stationed in Haiti.

UNICEF also said that they couldn't accept non-monetary donations at that time. They put me in touch with their partner organization...whose number didn't work...so then I called them back...and then we had a bad connection. Anyhow it didn't work out, but I can not express how grateful I am for their volunteer's help and endless patience.

Then both my ex and I called around all of our medical contacts, but they all had just donated substantial sums of money and didn't have bulk quantities of the supplies necessary. They suggested instead I contact their suppliers for donations. (I'm a little overextended right now but if someone wants to head up a call-at-thon to solicit donations of medical supplies let me know and I'll help you get organized)

A little exhausted, but firmly convinced that there had to be something I could do, I then turned to Facebook.