No. 1: Donate money. A little always goes a long way. Consider making any donation you are comfortable with to a disaster-relief organization, such as the American Red Cross and Feed the Children, after a devastating earthquake, fire, tsunami, hurricane, etc. You can also encourage your clientele to donate by adding a donation button to your website or link to a participating organization, or promise to donate a portion of each sale to a disaster-relief organization.

No. 2: Donate time. If you prefer a more hands-on approach, volunteering your time for disaster-relief efforts is also effective. This can include helping to clean up a disaster-stricken area, giving out fresh water and serving hot meals or providing food, shelter and comfort to families affected by major disasters. Volunteers, for example, carry out 90% of the humanitarian work of the American Red Cross. To learn more about volunteer opportunities with the American Red Cross, please visit www.redcross.org/volunteer/volunteer-opportunities.

No. 3: Spearhead a donation drive. To further help others in times of disaster, you can host a donation drive at your business, such as a shoe drive for Soles4Souls, which was founded as a disaster-relief organization after philanthropists and shoe executives provided footwear to those most impacted by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Today, it still acts as a second-wave responder during times of disaster, such as Hurricane Matthew and the recent historic floods that struck West Virginia claiming the lives of 26 people, devastating numerous homes and displacing thousands of people. Since its inception, Soles4Souls has collected and distributed more than 26 million pairs of shoes to those in need in 127 countries around the world and all 50 states in the U.S., largely due to donations from people who are passionate about helping others. For more information about getting involved with Soles4Souls or to become an official drop-off location, please visit https://soles4souls.org/get-involved/.

Blog by Dale Myers. the NALA's Head Writer.