Philippines Struck by Super Typhoon

Emergency Response

8 November 2013

Updated 12 November, 2013

The United Church has issued a church-wide appeal for donations in response to the super typhoon that devastated much of the Philippines on November 8. Funds donated will be distributed to United Church partners in the Philippines and ACT Alliance for relief and reconstruction efforts. The Canadian government will match, dollar for dollar, donations to registered Canadian charities, including the United Church, made between November 9 and December 8.
According to the government, “For every eligible dollar donated by individual Canadians to registered Canadian charities in response to the impact of Typhoon Haiyan on the Philippines and other affected countries, the government will set aside one dollar for the Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund. The government will use the Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund to provide assistance through international and Canadian humanitarian organizations, employing established channels and procedures.”
Registered charities, including the United Church, will be able to apply to the government’s Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund to augment relief projects in the Philippines, although there is no guarantee that any project or charity will receive funding from the government’s fund.
To be eligible for matching, donations need to be received at the United Church’s General Council Office no later than December 8.

What You Can Do

Pray

• Pray for our Filipino sisters and brothers who have lost loved ones, their homes, and their livelihoods.
• Pray for the members of the ACT’s Philippines Forum who are working tirelessly to assess damage on the ground and organize an emergency response.
• Pray for United Church partners in the Philippines—the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) and United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP)—as they work diligently to attend to the needs of Filipinos affected by the disaster.
• Pray for the Government of the Philippines, which is working with civil society organizations to ensure that relief needs are met as soon as possible.
• Pray for the international community that is rushing to the aid of the people of the Philippines.

Donate Now

Please donate to Typhoon Haiyan Relief. Your donation will be applied directly to support the relief and reconstruction work of United Church partners in the Philippines and ACT Alliance. Here’s how you can donate:

• Online via our secure donation page.
• Phone 416-231-5931 or toll-free 1-800-268-3781 and use your Visa or MasterCard.
• Send a cheque, money order, or Visa or MasterCard information with donation amount to:
  • The United Church of Canada
    Philanthropy Unit - Emergency Response
    3250 Bloor Street West, Suite 300
    Toronto, ON M8X 2Y4
    
    Please be sure to note "Emergency Response—Typhoon Haiyan Relief" on the face of your cheque.

What to Do for Your Donation to Be Matched by the Government

For United Church donations to qualify for Canadian government matching funds, certain conditions need to be met:

• Donations need to be received at the United Church’s General Council Office no later than December 8, 2013.
• Donations need to be received from individuals only, not companies or businesses.

To ensure that all money collected is seen as coming from individual donors, we ask that congregations

• encourage members to give directly to The United Church of Canada.
• Alternately, collect all personal cheques received and forward them to the United Church address above. Please include with the cheques a list of the names and addresses of individual donors and the amounts each has given.

Note: As part of the United Church’s Emergency Response Fund, 85 percent of your donation will go directly to emergency response in the Philippines. Fifteen percent will be used to respond to disasters throughout the world that do not receive media coverage and often go unnoticed. No administration fees will be deducted from your donation. Donations for Mission and Service enable the United Church to provide staffing and cover the administration costs of its emergency response work.
For more information contact:

Gary Kenny
Program Coordinator, Emergency Response and International Development
Tel: 416-231-5931 ext. 4051
Toll-free: 1-800-268-3781 ext. 4051
E-mail: gkenny@united-church.ca  

Patti Talbot
Team Leader, Church in Partnership/Asia Partnerships The United Church of Canada
Tel: 416-231-5931 ext. 4018
Toll-free:1-800-268-3781 ext. 4018
E-mail: ptalbot@united-church.ca