Shopping centers rally to help Haiti

New York City Shopping centers are playing host to fundraising efforts on behalf of earthquake victims in Haiti.

Simon Property Group is encouraging all of its centers to work with local social-service agencies to help raise funds. Though the company is not collecting money, it is making its centers available to fundraisers and telling shoppers where to direct their donations. These efforts are especially vigorous in such markets as Miami, where there is a concentration of Haitian expatriates.

Macerich is teaming with the American Red Cross to collect monetary donations at each of its centers' guest-services areas, said company spokeswoman Rebecca Stenholm. Envelopes will be available for shoppers to give by cash or check. Those wanting to give by debit or credit card can do so online at redcross.org.

Third-party retail property manager Jones Lang LaSalle is also helping.

“Our teams are putting programs in place at more than 50 of the centers we manage across the country,” said spokeswoman Brooke Houghton. “We are going to leverage our social-media avenue to encourage our customers and friends to donate.” Instead of directly accepting donations, the malls Jones Lang LaSalle manages are encouraging people to give to the Red Cross and other charities and to donate in increments of $10 to the Red Cross by texting the word “Haiti” to 90999.