Pakistani villagers chase relief supplies dropped from a Pakistani navy helicopter at a flooded area of Ghaus Pur near Sukkur, in Pakistan's Sindh province, on Wednesday. (Shakil Adil/Associated Press)

An aid organization based in Hamilton says it has raised $2 million to help those affected by devastating floods in Pakistan, with the majority of those funds coming from the Greater Toronto Area.

Islamic Relief Canada says residents of the Greater Toronto Area, home to some 76,000 people of Pakistani descent, are answering the call for help.

Spokesman Zaid Al-Rawni, who acknowledged that people are looking to contribute any way they can, said monetary donations are the most helpful.

"We're already delivering what we can. We need your support. You can donate whatever you can. We can translate that donation immediately into tangible food, water, hygiene kits," he told CBC News.

"Receiving anything else is more difficult to send over ... and the timing is key here because we need to get to people fast."

The floods were triggered more than two weeks ago by torrential downpours, beginning in the northwest before spreading south and inundating thousands of villages in large chunks of Punjab and Sindh provinces. At least 1,500 people have been killed and millions have been displaced.

Canada pledges $2 million

Toronto resident Aqib Choudhuray is trying to raise awareness about the issue. So far, he said he's raised $40,000 to help in aid efforts.

"Well I have family members there so we sending to them and then they're helping the poor people," he said.

Meanwhile, the group Canadian Friends of Pakistan is organizing a fundraising dinner in the Toronto suburb of Thornhill on Sunday.

Sales of the $100-a-head tickets have reached $30,000, the group said.

The United Nations says that at least 14 million people have been affected by the floods so far — more than the number affected by the Haitian earthquake earlier this year and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Pakistan says it cannot handle the disaster on its own.

The U.S. has committed more than $70 million, while the U.K. has pledged $30 million. So far Canada has only promised $2 million, prompting criticism from one Muslim group.

"Our economy is one of the strongest economies in the world," said David Leipert of the Muslim Council of Calgary. "Our government should step up with a significant percentage."

Bev Oda, Canada's minister for international co-operation, said that "we've had experiences before where we've responded with large amounts of Canadian money. However, stocks and food aid, medicines just sat on tarmacs and were not being delivered."