NFL to Donate $300,000 to Hurricane Matthew Relief Efforts

The National Football League is planning to donate at least $300,000 to the ongoing relief efforts following Hurricane Matthew, which caused extensive damage along the East Coast of the United States as well as areas of the Caribbean. 

The league announced the NFL Foundation pledge Friday on its official website. It stated the American Red Cross, Salvation Army and UNICEF will all receive donations as part of the contribution.

Other efforts from around the league were also highlighted in the announcement, including Pierre Garcon and Ricky Jean Francois of the Washington Redskins, both of Haitian descent, traveling to Haiti to deliver medical supplies following the devastating major hurricane.

John Keim of ESPN.com passed along comments from Garcon about the team's small part in aiding the recovery process:

"

It's the least we can do. We have easy access to the medical supplies in our training room. These people are dying here. For us to provide the medical supplies and keep someone alive, just giving them IVs, that's a life-changing thing where we can help. It's very small, and we take for granted having an IV, but after dealing with a hurricane and dealing with not having those basic needs, it will keep a lot of people alive.

"

The wide receiver also posted a picture on Instagram alongside Jean Francois in Haiti:

Joseph Guyler Delva of Reuters reported the death toll in the small nation reached 1,000 last Sunday as cholera spread throughout the most affected areas. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated 1.4 million Haitians needed assistance after the storm.

In the United States, the death toll increased to 38 on Thursday after North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory announced two more deaths in his state brought its total to 22, according to the Associated Press (via ABC News).

Along with the loss of life, Doyle Rice of USA Today noted research and consulting firm CoreLogic estimated the amount of economic loss because of Hurricane Matthew would be at least $4 billion.