United Church Launches Emergency Appeal for Hurricane Matthew Relief

TORONTO, Oct. 13, 2016 /CNW/ - The United Church of Canada is launching an emergency appeal to provide humanitarian relief to Haiti, Cuba, and nearby Caribbean countries devastated by the impact of Hurricane Matthew. 

Donations made through the United Church are directed to ACT Alliance (a coalition of churches and faith-based organizations working together to provide a global response to emergencies), and regional partners with a long track record of delivering aid and assisting with reconstruction.

"The United Church works with long-standing local partners who have well-established and trusted distribution networks on the ground, including in remote communities," explains Jim Hodgson, Program Coordinator for Latin American and Caribbean Partnerships.

Hodgson says United Church partners work diligently to ensure the donations they administer reach the most vulnerable communities in the greatest need as quickly as possible. Following the 2010 earthquake the United Church provided more than $4 million dollars in assistance to Haiti.

Members of ACT Alliance are already in place in Haiti, assisting those affected by the hurricane. The United Church's partners in Haiti are The Methodist Church of Haiti and The Karl Lévêque Cultural Institute (ICKL). In Cuba, the Cuban Council of Churches leads the ACT Alliance response. Financial assistance from the appeal will also be provided to church partners in other Caribbean countries affected by Hurricane Matthew.

Go online to donate: http://www.united-church.ca/hurricane-matthew

SOURCE United Church of Canada

Media Contact: Mary-Frances Denis, The United Church of Canada, Tel: [phone] ext. 2016, Cell: 416-400-7273, E-mail: [email protected]