Local groups are planning ways to help millions of Pakistani and Indian people left without food and shelter following Saturday's 7.6-magnitude earthquake.

Some 43,000 people were injured in the quake, and the death toll is between 20,000 and 30,000. Roughly 2.5 million people near the Pakistan-India border are in need of shelter.

Sarah Haque, Pakistan Student Association president, said she is meeting with the members of the Indian Student Association (ISA) to discuss plans to raise funds for victims.

"We're looking at selling arts and crafts, having people walk around collecting money and placing donation boxes at the HUB," she said. "We're definitely looking for something bigger to bring in a lot more funds -- we want to have the most effective method."

Haque discussed the possibility of a charity dinner similar to one held by the ISA last year that raised $2,000 for victims of the tsunami tragedy.

ISA executive chairwoman Namrata Ramrakhani said the dinner may give support to international students whose families were affected by the earthquake.

"A dinner is a great idea, because it's something that everyone can contribute in and it's a fast event to plan when something happens like this so suddenly," she said.

Mona Vakil, president of ASHA for Education, said her group is planning to help "in any way possible."

"Usually the money we raise goes directly toward underprivileged children in India," she said. "However, during times of crisis, such as Katrina or this recent earthquake in Asia, ASHA chapters across the world do raise urgent funds to help survivors."

Vakil said the organization is looking to sponsor an event to raise money to send to people to the areas affected by tragedy.

"We are always willing to send interested volunteers to the areas in Asia that were affected," she said. "However, finding such interested people willing to go abroad proves as difficult."

The Centre Communities Chapter of the American Red Cross, 121 W. Beaver Ave., is waiting for directions from the national Red Cross before workers start donation projects in State College.

"The American Red Cross is standing by, waiting to learn what will be needed," Centre Communities Chapter executive director Virginia Brown said. "Once the Red Cross in India determines what is needed, we will be told how much money we will need to raise to deal with this particular disaster."

Brown said the need for blood drives would be unlikely, but the local Red Cross will be ready to accept funds for the disaster.

"Because it's international, the American Red Cross has a hub where they can ship blood in an emergency," she said. "When we collect blood locally, the blood helps to supply the hospitals on the local level."

Brown said there might be problems collecting money for this particular tragedy because the earthquake struck so soon after Hurricane Katrina.

"It's a bit too soon to tell what level of funding might be received because I think so many people have given recently for Katrina," she said. "It's hard to predict, particularly because people in this area have been extremely generous with donations for hurricane relief, which have been somewhere in the neighborhood of $195,000, so we'll just have to see what happens."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.