To Give or Not To Give...

To Give or Not to Give.... 

With the recent aftermath of hurricanes Harvey and Irma, there are so many people in need.  Many have homes that are flooded or much worse, leveled.  There are those in need of water, power, food... the basic necessities.   When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, the aftermath was boggling.  I had friends who were evacuated and were not allowed back into their homes.  When they finally returned... there was nothing left but a soggy mess.  

Yes, material things can be replaced and we should all be grateful that it's life that we cherish, but it doesn't make it that less frustrating knowing you have to start over.  As I was trying to determine how best to to help these friends... I realized that somebody without a home to go back to may not need clothes that you would send.  So... I thought, what about gift cards, so they can purchase just the basic necessities.   (Food, personal items, etc.)  There were friends who I sent the cards directly to, but I wondered about all the other families.  The ones that I didn't know, but wanted to help.    

During this time, Irma had begun to pick up steam and was headed for the US Virgin Islands, the Keys and Florida.   I have so many friends who live in these areas.  I do work in this state.  I became glued to the television with the track of when, where and how bad was it going to be.  As Irma strengthen into a Category 5,  again, I was bothered by the fact that people who had lost everything might not get to see any dollars that I had contributed to the American Red Cross or a few other organizations that I made monetary donations to, so I did a little research and was really bothered by some of the things I found.   The purpose of this blog is just to do a little homework before freely giving a monetary donation.   I know we have seen celebrities do the telethons, create go fund accounts, set up foundations... but how do we know how much of the money really goes to help the victims of these horrific disasters.  The 

I know that charities have to have personnel to run them.  I believe that everyone should be paid for their time to do these jobs, but at the same time, I want to make sure that my donations are going to help people.  One charity that I will no longer donate to is Goodwill.   I used to take items that I no longer needed here, because it was fast and convenient for me... and thinking that I was also helping others.  Wrong.  I was helping their CEO's bank account.   After finding out this information, I decided to make sure that in the future... any charity that I work with or donate too, will get a thorough back-ground check to ensure that they are indeed reputable and helping those in need. 

As Irma made her way through the islands, the Keys and finally Florida and the southeast.  She left a lot of devastation, just as Harvey had done the week before.   Many are without the basic needs.  If you have family or friends in these areas and you can communicate with them... I would strongly suggest gift cards to places like Target, Wal Mart, food places, gas cards, etc.  These are things that can help with just the basic supplies.  Then... if you really want to make a monetary donation, I know that the American Red Cross has a CEO and employees but I do believe that they are helping victims along with the Salvation Army.  There are a number of military charities that are helping veterans as well.   Pets are another issue.  Many of the shelters in these areas have had to take in pets that were left behind and are in need of supplies.  Local food banks are collecting non-perishable items to give out so these are always a good idea if you can get supplies to them.   Many cities, towns across the country have been gathering supplies as a community to send in to the affected areas. The main thing is to make sure that the charity is a highly rated and established one that offers how much of the money collected actually goes to the victims.  

So... as you determine whether to give or not to give... my advice would be... yes, help.  Do what you can but just make sure you know where your dollars are going.  One of the best things to come out of these horrific disasters is to see people helping people.  We are human and by nature, we all want to help our neighbors.  It's those few... that truly create a bad name for us all and unfortunately, that includes charities as well.  

We will continue to keep all of the affected areas in our thoughts and prayers and remember, every little bit does make a difference.