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For Immediate Release
Contact: Melis Jones
Vice President
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| Hurricane Gustav & Ike Relief: $21 Million in In-Kind Donations, 35,000 Cash Donors Delivered to Charities
by the Aidmatrix Network® |
DALLAS, TX - October 16, 2008 - Today The Aidmatrix Foundation, Inc. (Aidmatrix) released the preliminary results of humanitarian relief processed with its partners through the Aidmatrix Network® for Hurricane Gustav and Ike relief efforts. More than $21 million in in-kind donations from unsolicited donors were processed through the system for the States and charities working in the affected areas. More than 35,000 donors wanting to make cash donations were referred directly to the charities' own web pages for processing the donation. (The Aidmatrix Network system does not perform transactions for cash donations itself, nor does the Aidmatrix Foundation benefit financially from any individual donations made through the system.) In addition, nearly 500 spontaneous volunteers were matched with charities working the relief efforts. All of the hurricane-impacted States and their Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) members are partnered with the Aidmatrix Network and have web portals on the system including: Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida.
The Texas State portal has 29 nonprofits signed up on the system, including the United Ways of Texas, Save the Children, Adventist Community Services, Texas FoodBank Network, Texas Interagency Interfaith Disaster Response, Convoy of Hope and the Texas Baptist Men. These nonprofits receive the offers of donated goods. Some examples of donations received in Texas are:
- $175,000 of cleaning supplies
- $41,000 of clothing
- 50 toilets
In addition, heater meals, sand bags, diesel fuel, house products, building supplies and bottled water are further examples of offers made through the system.
Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Director Mike Womack said his agency also used the system during Hurricane Gustav. "This system has helped make the process of giving and receiving donations easier and more efficient for our State," said Womack. "Our relief efforts are improved through this service because it links volunteers with nonprofit organizations and charities directly involved with recovery."
Hurricane Gustav / Ike Relief saw the largest unsolicited public response processed by the Aidmatrix Network of any major disaster in the USA in 2008. The Summer '08 Midwest Flood Relief was the second largest where the Aidmatrix Network processed more than $835,000 of in-kind donations and 3,000 financial donation referrals.
"We are humbled by the great progress in increasing supplies and cash to our partners in the National and State Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) that are working the relief efforts. Being able to easily funnel these unsolicited donations to the relief organizations just further compliments the direct solicitation campaigns that they conduct," stated Gov. Scott McCallum, Aidmatrix President and CEO. "Together, we are creating a more public-friendly, disaster-relief system that supports our communities and those in need."
In the USA, the Aidmatrix Network is a web-based national donations management system that helps States and charities capture donor offers electronically so that those donations can be routed quickly to relief workers in the affected areas. It is a public-private partnership to bring supply-chain technology and best practices to the world of humanitarian relief.
To make a donation to the ongoing recovery efforts for Hurricane Gustav / Ike, please visit http://www.aidmatrixnetwork.org. From there, simply select the State to view their portal and to make a donation.
The Aidmatrix Network program went live in the USA in 2007. In the USA, it is funded by The Aidmatrix Foundation, the UPS Foundation, Accenture and FEMA. Since then, it has been used to process humanitarian relief for the '07 California Wildfires, '08 Midwest Floods, and numerous tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and floods in the USA and internationally.
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About The Aidmatrix Foundation, Inc.
The Aidmatrix Foundation, Inc. builds and operates powerful technology hubs that support diverse stakeholder groups in their efforts to work together to solve the world's most challenging humanitarian crises. Our solutions enhance participation, amplify contributions, and accelerate results for humanitarian relief. More than 35,000 leading corporate, nonprofit and government partners leverage our solutions to mobilize more than $1.5 billion in aid annually, worldwide. The donated goods, money and services impact the lives of more than 65 million people. Aidmatrix is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit headquartered in Dallas, Texas, USA, with offices in Wisconsin, Germany and India.
www.aidmatrix.org. |
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| The Aidmatrix Network is a registered trademark of The Aidmatrix Foundation. Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. |
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