Members of the South Etobicoke community are rallying to help Haitians suffering from a deadly earthquake that has taken more than 1,300 lives and left in excess of 2,000 people wounded.

A prayer service will be held on August 22 at St. Margaret’s New Toronto church, on Sixth Street, to pay tribute to those who were killed in the August 14 earthquake, which measured 7.2 on the Richter scale.

“We are praying for the people of Haiti,” said Rev. Jacqueline Daley. “There will be a service to show our respect and dignity for the suffering people of Haiti.”

The church, Dorothy Lee Hospice and other agencies, are planning a South Etobicoke Community Memorial in October so residents can pray and show their respect to loved ones who passed away from COVID-19, drug overdoses or by suicide. More details are pending.

In Haiti, the death toll has risen to more than 1,300, with at least 5,700 people injured and thousands more displaced from their destroyed or damaged homes.

A one-month state of emergency for the country has been declared and officials said some towns were almost completely razed and people in need of urgent medical help.

Humanitarian organizations in Canada and around the world are asking for financial assistance to help the Haitians. The country had still been reeling from the aftermath of the catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake in 2010 as well as Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

The Canadian Red Cross say they have 12 workers and dozens of volunteers mobilized to help with the search, rescue and medical treatment of suffering victims.

Canadians are being asked to support Red Cross relief efforts by making a donation to the Canadian Red Cross Haiti Earthquake fund. Donations can be made by calling toll free 1-800-418-1111, or online at secure.unicef.ca

Donations can also be made to Save the Children Canada who are coordinating a humanitarian response to help Haitian children and their families. They can be reached at donate.savethechildren.ca.

GlobalMedic, a Toronto-based disaster relief charity made up of volunteer paramedics, is asking for donations for its relief efforts in Haiti. After the 2010 earthquake, their team provided clean drinking water and medical aid. They can be reached at globalmedic.ca.

There is a big demand for emergency shelter, safe water, urgent medical aid and nutrition support, supplies to prevent disease outbreaks and services for kids and families who have lost their home and education for children in crisis.