Here is a list of tax-exempt charities that are accepting Florence-specific donations. NOTE: this list is not an endorsement of any specific charity.

• Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, visit their website to donate
• American Red Cross. To make a financial donation, visit their website or call 1.800.RED CROSS.
• Catholic Charities of USA. To make a financial donation, visit CCUSA’s disaster-specific website or text 71777 to donate.
• The NC Emergency Management has notified the Diaper Bank of North Carolina that families in shelters need children’s underwear and toilet paper, as well as diapers and feminine hygiene products. You can donate specific items from their Amazon Wishlist. Click here.
• Donors Choose just launched a Hurricane Florence recovery effort, which means they’re accepting donations from the public to apply to projects from teachers at damaged public schools. Donors Choose is asking teachers and the public to report damaged schools, so that they can be sure the organization is getting support to the areas needed most. Donors Choose is also staying in touch with corporate and foundation partners who have supported schools in this area in the past, in the event they’d like to pledge support for impacted schools.
• The Disaster Recovery Network at Global Giving is also accepting donations. To make a donation, visit their website.
• International Medical Corps is providing healthcare and delivering urgently needed supplies to people devastated by Florence. You can make a donation by visiting their website.
• The North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund is accepting contributions for Hurricane Florence damage. Contributions will help with immediate unmet needs of Hurricane Florence victims. You can donate online by visiting the website here, or text Florence to 20222. If you are unable to text or give online, you may mail your contribution to: North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund, 20312 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699.
• Salvation Army. To make a donation, visit HelpSalvationArmy.org, call 1.800.SAL.ARMY, or text “STORM” to 51555. You can also ask Amazon Alexa to “make a donation to The Salvation Army.”
• Save the Children. To support Save the Children’s response efforts, visit their website.
• The United Way Hurricane Florence Recovery Fund will provide communities with resources to fund their mid- and long-term recovery efforts. The national fund will facilitate the donation process for United Way donors and partners who want to offer financial support to storm victims in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, parts of Georgia and Maryland and additional affected areas. To donate to the fund, visit their website.
• Virginia-based development and relief organization World Hope International (WHI) is on the ground and accepting donations. Click here to visit their website and donate.

LOCAL EFFORTS

• Emerge-A Child’s Place, 3905 University Drive, will be collecting items through the end of the week to deliver to the Diaper Bank of North Carolina and The Carolina Cavalry.
• Mellow Mushroom, 410 Blackwell Street, will be donating 10% of sales on Sept. 20 to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC
• Boricua Soul Food Truck, 359 Blackwell Street, will host a low country boil on Sept. 21 to help our friends on the coast recover from the devastation of Hurricane Florence. Durty Bull Brewing will be onsite serving their tasty beers. 100 percent of the country boil sale will go to relief efforts.

BUSINESS RESOURCE

The U.S. Small Business Administration has Business Recovery Centers open to assist businesses affected by Hurricane Matthew.

Small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations in the following adjacent counties and independent cities are eligible to apply only for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans: Alamance, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Montgomery, New Hanover, Orange, Pamlico, Randolph, Stanly, Union and Warren in North Carolina; Chesterfield, Dillon, Horry and Marlboro in South Carolina; Brunswick, Chesapeake City, Greensville, Southampton, Suffolk City and Virginia Beach City in Virginia.

Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via the SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.