ISPAid™ - Disaster Relief for Haiti

Local relief agency officials report that monetary donations are what is most needed at this time to help Haiti in the aftermath of the recent earthquake that devastated the country.

The mattress industry has always proved to be most generous in times of need and ISPA encourages member companies and individuals to continue in this tradition and contribute.

The association will also be exploring other ways the industry can help in the future as much will be needed as the country rebuilds. We will communicate further as we find out how the industry can best assist.

For your convenience, following is a list of some of the national organizations involved in this massive effort that are accepting donations for Haiti.

American Red Cross

Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund

Habitat for Humanity

Partners in Health

Salvation Army

UNICEF

United Way

Deduction tips for contributors to Haiti relief effort

On the IRS web site, there are posted deduction tips for taxpayers planning to make contributions to aid Haitian earthquake victims.

Contributors who itemize deductions are reminded that:

• Contributions to domestic, tax-exempt, charitable organizations providing assistance to individuals in foreign lands are tax-deductible, provided that the U.S. organization has full control and discretion over the uses of donations.
• Contributions to foreign organizations generally are not deductible, nor are contributions to benefit specific individuals or families.
• To substantiate charitable contributions of money, regardless of amount, a taxpayer must have a bank record or a written communication from the charity showing the name of the charity and the date and amount of the contribution.
• Contributions are deductible in the year made.