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Today, United Way of Miami-Dade announced a fourth round of grants totaling $200,000 in response to the crisis in Haiti.   Funding for these grants, which went to five non-profits providing relief and recovery in Haiti, came through Operation Helping Hands, a joint disaster relief fund created by United Way of Miami-Dade, The Miami Herald/el Nuevo Herald, Univision 23 and Univision Radio.

The grants include $78,000 to Food for the Poor to build 15 homes; $49,000 to World Vision for shelter, water and food; $33,000 to Project Medishare for supplies for the pediatric and neonatal intensive care unites and the field hospital in Port-au-Prince; $15,000 to L’Athletique d’Haiti to relocate people in temporary shelters to higher ground; and $25,000 to CARE for hurricane straps to brace weakened shelters in advance of the rainy season.

“The recovery of Haiti will take years.  Through the continued generosity of the people of South Florida, we are able to make grants to key organizations working on the island, helping the Haitian people rebuild their lives and their country little by little,” Harve A. Mogul, president and CEO, United Way of Miami-Dade, said.

“It's gratifying to see how this community continues to respond to the urgency of Haiti's need.   We're glad that our assistance will have such an immediate impact," said David Landsberg, publisher of The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald.

United Way and The Miami Herald/el Nuevo Herald activated Operation Helping Hands immediately following the January 12 earthquake in Haiti.  100% of funds raised through Operation Helping Hands will go to support relief and recovery efforts in Haiti.  Monetary donations made to Operation Helping Hands will go directly to help the people of Haiti through non-profit organizations working on the ground. Read a timeline of United Way of Miami-Dade's response to the Haiti earthquake.

To make a donation:

• log on to www.iwant2help.org
• send a check payable to Operation Helping Hands, c/o United Way of Miami-Dade, P.O. Box # 459007, Miami, Florida 33245-9007.
• call 1-800-226-3320

Operation Helping Hands was created in 1998 in the aftermath of devastating hurricanes Mitch and Georges, and has been reactivated several times since to help Floridians extend a helping hand to help those involved in emergency situations.