ATLANTA—With a death toll in Nepal reaching the thousands, Atlanta Catholics are encouraged to give aid to help relief efforts.

“The important thing is not the way people participate, but rather that they do,” said Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory in a letter to parishes.

Catholic communities should promote the giving of aid at Masses, in church bulletins, on websites and social media.

Churches may still want to hold traditional second collections, but many parishioners donate online to help aid arrive quickly, he said.

Here are three relief agencies collecting aid to help the Asian country.

• Catholic Relief Services (www.crs.org) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States.
• MAP International (www.map.org/nepal-quake) is a global Christian health organization, based in Georgia, that partners with people to save lives and develop healthier families and communities.
• CARE (www.care.org) is an Atlanta humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. Its emergency responses focus on the most vulnerable people, particularly girls and women.