There are lots of ways to help, and quite a few people on this forum who want to help. I have a couple of suggestions.
1. As Yangdu already said, the best thing is to send money, if you have it to send. Nepal is experiencing a nationwide catastrophe, and even HI people who are not themselves injured are caught up in the devastation affecting their families, friends and local communities. People will need help to find housing and to pay for the essentials of life. The ability to make knives will be important, but in the immediate coming days, weeks and maybe months, the ability to survive will be paramount, for HI workers like everyone else in Nepal.
2. Many of us have knives that can be sold to raise money. If each individual conducts a personal raffle or auction (assuming that the forum rules allow it), this can become very confusing even with the best of intentions. Some have already sold knives on the Bladeforums Exchange, with the proceeds going to Yangdu for earthquake relief. That is helpful.
3. However, I think it might be best if people ship those knives to Yangdu and let her sell them for earthquake relief. She is better situated to price and sell these knives than most individuals. Also, it will help HI to continue as a business selling knives in the coming weeks and months when shipments from Nepal might dry up completely. The more dedicated forumites will no doubt stay with HI even through an extended dry spell, but there are also many potential customers who might drift away if Yangdu does not have knives to sell, so sending your "extras" to her might be better than trying to sell them yourself.
That's just a thought. Obviously any way that people can help is appreciated.
-- Dave
