Charities encourage aid to Japan via short code donations

Japan is still reeling from the fallout of a historic earthquake and tsunami as the death toll rises and resources wear thin. In response, relief organizations around the world are preparing to help and the two largest carriers in the United States have made calls and text messages to Japan free for the next few weeks.
The Mobile Giving Foundation, The mGive Foundation and MobileCause are all promoting short codes to donate to a group of charities involved in the relief effort, including UNICEF, American Red Cross Relief, Save the Children Federation Inc., World Vision Inc., Mercy Corps, The Salvation Army, International Medical Corps, Convoy of Hope, Global Giving, World Relief Corp. of National Association of Evangelicals and The Adventist Development and Relief Agency.
“There was no question what our mission would be when news of the earthquake and tsunami broke,” Jenifer Snyder, executive director of The mGive Foundation, said in a prepared statement. “What matters most is not only setting up these powerful text donation campaigns, but getting the word out to donors so they can help the people in Japan to rebuild and recover from this tragedy.”
Beginning March 11, the day the tragedy hit, AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless are subsidizing long distance charges for calls and messages placed to Japan. AT&T’s offer runs through the end of March and Verizon runs for a full month, ending April 11.
For those looking to donate via their mobile device, there is a series of short codes that will get money directly to the charity of their choice.
Short codes for $10 donations include:
* Text “JAPAN” to 80888 for a $10 donation to The Salvation Army
* Text “MED” to 80888 for a $10 donation to International Medical Corps
* Text “SUPPORT” to 85944 for a $10 donation to ADRA
* Text “TSUNAMI” to 50555 for a $10 donation to Convoy of Hope
* Text “REDCROSS” to 90999 for a $10 donation to American Red Cross Relief
* Text “WAVE” to 50555 for a $10 donation to World Relief Corp. of National Association of Evangelicals
* Text “JAPAN” to 50555 for a $10 donation to GlobalGiving
* Text “JAPAN” or “TSUNAMI” to 20222 for a $10 donation to Save the Children Federation Inc.
* Text “4JAPAN” or “4TSUNAMI” to 20222 for a $10 donation to World Vision Inc.
* Text “MERCY” to 25383 for a $10 donation to Mercy Corps