The Thunder Bay branch of the Canadian Red Cross is appealing to area residents to open their wallets and help people in hurricane-devastated Haiti.
Branch manager Rob Kilgour says Hurricane Matthew left an estimated 1.4 million Haitians in need of assistance.
The Red Cross aims to raise 120 million dollars across Canada.
Kilgour said he hopes local residents respond in the way they have always done in the past. The Red Cross, he said, is "asking people in Thunder Bay—always known as that city with a giant heart—to recognize the needs of the people in those disaster areas. Please give."
The most immediate needs in Haiti include food, water and shelter. Kilgour said safe water is especially important because Haiti has a history of cholera.
But he added that while donations made today will help with immediate needs, they can also go toward a longer-term recovery that will take place in the months and years ahead.
Kilgour said donations may be made online or by contacting the Thunder Bay Red Cross office.
Kilgour pointed out that the community has responded well in the past to appeals for donations for disaster relief. "This is another opportunity where people in Thunder Bay can see the need and respond, let their hearts guide them, and know that their donations will be utilized....on the ground."
