Helping Those Affected by Ottawa-Gatineau Tornadoes

If you’d like to donate or volunteer to help those affected by the six tornadoes that caused destruction to many locations within the Ottawa-Gatineau region on September 21^st, consider choosing one of the channels below. Also, please be aware that unfortunately, even in a time when many families are in need, there are ongoing scams by groups posing as official channels to help tornado victims. Before giving any food, clothing, household items or money to a charity you’ve not heard of before, do some research and when in doubt choose a better-known charity and if you suspect you have been approached by or donated to a fraudulent charity, contact your local police to report it. Canadian Red Cross After disasters like the six tornadoes which destroyed neighbourhoods in the Ottawa-Gatineau region, financial donations are critical to the Canadian Red Cross. The Canadian Red Cross has mobilized its disaster teams to register impacted people and help provide shelter, relief and comfort. To donate to the Canadian Red Cross online click their logo above, or call 1-800-418-1111. The Salvation Army The Salvation Army is accepting donations of clothing, furniture and household items in anticipation of increased requests from residents affected by the windstorms and tornadoes. You can make donations in person at any Salvation Army thrift store, or call 1-613-247-1435 ext 228 to arrange a donation pick-up for larger items. Ottawa Sens & Fans Tornado Relief GoFundMe Campaign   The Ottawa Senators have created a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to assist communities and families affected by the tornadoes with a commitment by the Ottawa Senators Foundation to match funds raised up to a certain amount. Click the Ottawa Senators logo above to go to the GoFundMe campaign page if you’d like to donate. Ottawa Food Bank The Ottawa Food Bank is working incredibly hard and using up much more than their usual amount of resources to help households across the Ottawa region who are in need of food, whether due to their homes being damaged or destroyed, or as a result of losing fridges and freezers full of food from extended power outages. If you, your family, co-workers or community group would like to hold a food drive, volunteer, or donate to the Ottawa Food Bank, click the logo above to go to their website with further information on how you can do so. On-Site Clean-up and Support Centre Volunteering   If you would like to help clean up efforts, you are asked to go to the West Carleton Secondary School at 3086 Dunrobin Road to register as a volunteer in that area, or you can email emergencyvolunteers@ottawa.ca for more information or visit the City of Ottawa website here with all information on recovery efforts. Please be sure to register through the official volunteer channels as there are still crews completing recovery work and access to some areas is still limited due to safety concerns.