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May 12, 2008 9:21 am US/Eastern
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Local Groups Collect Donations For Myanmar
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
The United States delivered its first relief supplies to Myanmar on Monday and local organizations are asking for your help.
As many as 2 million people there are facing disease and starvation following the storm.
The official death toll from the May 3 Cyclone Nargis is 28,458 with another 33,416 still missing. But the U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Catherine Bragg and others have said the death toll could reach 100,000 or higher.
The American Red Cross says it is in close contact with colleagues at the Myanmar Red Cross. They're asking for financial gifts to help pay for supplies, technical assistance and other support to victims.
They are not looking for anything else.
"Unsolicited, spontaneous donations of goods and services from individuals and community groups, though well intentioned, have hidden costs and pose a number of complications for relief efforts. For these reasons, the Red Cross is not able to accept any large collections of items, such as used clothing, hygiene items, furniture, toys, and canned goods. Nor are we able to accept small, individual donations of these items," the Red Cross said in a statement.
If you would like to help, visit their
Web site.
Boston-based Oxfam America is also collecting donations. For more information, go to
donate.oxfamamerica.org.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)