How to help those in Boston: #BostonHelp and other resources

Katie Long Apr 16, 2013

Support has been pouring in from around the world to help those in Boston affected by the Boston Marathon bombings Monday.

There are a number of ways for you to help, whether in person or digitally. We’ve listed a few below.

Have other ways to help? Tell us in the comments.

General information and support

Boston Marathon’s Official Facebook Page: Marathon officials are adding the latest information to their Facebook page, including where runners can reclaim their belongings.

#BostonHelp is one of many hashtags being used to collect and disseminate information about how to help and help being offered.

The Boston Police is also regularly tweeting news and updates from Boston.

Finding a place to stay

Those stranded in the Boston area and need a place to stay can fill out this form, provided by The Boston Globe, to connect with people who are offering housing. The paper’s @GlobeMarathon lists news, information for runners, and other offers that poured into this Google spreadsheet.

Making sure loved ones are OK

Boston Police Help Line: Family members looking for information about individuals injured during the incident are encouraged to call (617) 635-4500.

Boston Marathon Athlete Tracker: This section of the marathon’s official website lets users track runners by name or bib number to find out if and when runners finished the race.

Google Person Finder’s Boston Marathon Page: Google Person Finder allows users to enter the name of a person they’re looking for or enter information about someone who is there.

The American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts: This branch of the Red Cross has opened a disaster operation center to help families locate loved ones who were at the Boston Marathon.

American Red Cross’s Safe and Well website: This allows people to register their status with the Red Cross so family members can search for them.

To give police help

Boston Police Tip Line: Anyone with information about the incident at the Boston Marathon is encouraged to call the Boston Police Department’s tip line: 1-800-494-TIPS or call the department’s task force tip line at 617-223-6610 or email Boston@ci.fbi.gov

Community members wanting to help this investigation can call 1(800) CALL-FBI or the BPD’s Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.