February 1, 2010
OCEAN COUNTY officials want to help Ocean County residents in their efforts to help Haiti.
“Ocean County residents are a very generous community and I know they are making an effort to help those affected by the Jan. 12 earthquake that struck Haiti,” said Freeholder Deputy Director John P. Kelly. “We want to help with these efforts by providing important information when it comes to making charitable contributions.”
Kelly, who serves as director of Law and Public Safety, said information on a host of charities that are collecting funds to help the people of Haiti are now available on the Ocean County website.
“We designed a website that will help our residents make donations to any one of a number of charities working directly with this devastating tragedy in Haiti,” Kelly said. “We hope our residents find this convenient and it encourages them to help these charities in their efforts to help the people of Haiti.”
Kelly noted that scam artists often take advantage of the generosity of people who want to help out those who are less fortunate.
“Accurate information is the key to making sure people are not scammed and their charitable donations go to the right place and not into the pocket of someone who is unscrupulous and hoping to take advantage of a bad situation,” Kelly said.
To access the information on charitable organizations, visit the Ocean County government website at www.co.ocean.nj.us and click on Help for Haiti which is highlighted on the home page.
There you will find a list of charitable organizations along with telephone numbers and links to their websites.
“I am hopeful this information will be helpful in assisting our residents,” Kelly said. “Many of these agencies are at the forefront of delivering assistance to Haiti and to so many other areas affected by disasters.”
The county will also display posters and distribute flyers providing the same information as listed on the website at public buildings.
Kelly said the information also will be available at the County Connection at the Ocean County Mall, Toms River.
“We know many people want to help those people who are in Haiti, who have been left virtually with nothing,” Kelly said. “Hundreds of thousands of people are trying to cope with the aftermath of this earthquake. When a disaster of this magnitude strikes we rely on outside agencies to help. This is one way we can help.”