AARP Foundation Establishes Relief Fund for Older Victims of Hurricane Matthew

AARP and AARP Foundation to match dollar for dollar contributions up to $500,000 to provide much needed support for disaster victims

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AARP Foundation

Oct 12, 2016, 02:05 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AARP Foundation President Lisa Marsh Ryerson today announced that AARP Foundation has created a relief fund to help the victims – especially those over 50 –devastated by Hurricane Matthew. To meet the needs of those affected, AARP and AARP Foundation will match – dollar for dollar – contributions up to a total of $500,000.

"We still don't know the full extent of Hurricane Matthew's devastation. But we do know that it has compounded the hardships for older adults already struggling to make ends meet," said Ryerson. "AARP members always respond quickly to help those in need, and we know they will again. As a trusted organization we also know that every dollar counts and will ensure that donations collected through the disaster relief fund will go directly to aid victims, through organizations working on the ground from Florida to the Carolinas."

The destruction from Hurricane Matthew in Haiti has been devastating, with hundreds of people killed and tens of thousands left homeless. In the US – from Florida to the Carolinas – more than 2 million people were forced to leave their homes in the largest mandatory evacuation since Hurricane Sandy. As the evacuations are lifted, hundreds of thousands of people are returning to find their homes without power, damaged, or destroyed.

To donate and learn more about the AARP Foundation Hurricane Matthew Relief Fund, please visit: www.aarp.org/disasterrelief

About AARP Foundation
AARP Foundation works to ensure that low-income older adults have nutritious food, affordable housing, a steady income, and strong and sustaining bonds. We collaborate with individuals and organizations who share our commitment to innovation and our passion for problem-solving. Supported by vigorous legal advocacy, we create and advance effective solutions that help struggling older adults transform their lives. AARP Foundation is the affiliated charity of AARP.

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SOURCE AARP Foundation