Donating blood is always a good idea. The nation's blood supply is reportedly adequate at the moment, but fresh blood has a relatively short shelf life, so donations are always needed. Please contact the Red Cross (1-800-GIVE-LIFE, or 1-800-448-3543) or your local hospital to find out where and when to donate.

If you would like to help in a different way, you can donate money. Many companies are matching donations made by employees and/or customers. You may want to check with your employer, bank, grocery store or other local businesses before making a contribution.

The American Liberty Partnership website has links to 30 charities accepting donations for relief funds.

As a wine site, we would especially like to mention the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund. Michael Skurnik Wines played an instrumental role in creating this fund. This fund has been set up to help the families of the food service professionals who were victims of the World Trade Center disaster. The fund promises that all contributions will go directly to the families, and are 100% tax deductible. You can donate online or by making out a check to the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund and sending it to:

Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund
c/o David Berdon & Co., LLP
415 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10017

Another worthy cause is the Red Cross Relief Fund. As mentioned above, the Red Cross has been difficult to reach at times, but many websites (including Yahoo!, Amazon.com, and PayPal) have set up their own donation forms to make the process easier. Some businesses are accepting contributions on behalf of the Red Cross. Here in the northeastern USA, several banks, including Citizens, Fleet and Sovereign are accepting checks at all branches. In addition, according to the Boston Globe, Sovereign will match customers' contributions.

The United Way of New York City is also accepting contributions to a special September 11 Fund.

The Salvation Army of the USA is accepting donations on the web. If you have trouble accessing their site, you can also donate through a special Yahoo! page.

The New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund accepts checks at:

Box 3713,
Grand Central Station,
New York, NY 10163.

The New York Times 9/11 Neediest Fund is accepting contributions through Charitywave.com. Here's a direct link to the donation page.

Internet auctioneer eBay has set up the Auction for America, which allows people to donate by selling or buying items, as well as by direct cash donations. eBay and eBay Online Payments are waiving all listing, final value, and processing fees for this auction.

Many other sites are also maintaining help/information pages with links to charities and other resources. Here are some of the best that I've found:

Lycos

Yahoo!

Helping.org

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