>> If one is truly interested in helping the victims, it might be a good idea to check into the charity to find out where the donations go.
This is a good point. I used to donate to the Red Cross, but based on information I've read I'm not as convinced they have the best use of the money. My wife and I used
charitynavigator.org to decide on a Haiti charity (we picked Doctors Without Borders because we were hoping it could help immediately with some of the emergency health needs they have). That site is pretty helpful in finding charities that use the moneys well and also explaining what types of work each charity focuses on.