Give Money Now? Give Time Later?
by MelissaSeptember 1st, 2005 12:17 pm
I’m not donating money to the Red Cross. Probably not donating to the other usual suspects either. Nope, no Catholic Charities for me, no United Way, no Salvation Army either. At this point, the aforementioned organizations not to mention a slew of others, are getting tons of monetary donations. And I’m not sure how much of the intended aid can actually get to New Orleans right now.
Instead, I think I may try to physically volunteer down there in the future. My birthday is in November. To me, getting away from work for a little while and helping out with a much-needed relief effort would be the ideal to spend my birthday and the week before Thanksgiving.
To be completely honest, I’m not quite sure how to go about this. My favorite charity (for an awfully long time now) is Habitat for Humanity. I’ve wanted to volunteer with them for ages, but it seems like the local projects get filled up very quickly. I’m thinking that they’ll be able to use people for projects in the Gulf Coast region for the foreseeable future.
If anyone would be interested in joining me in this effort, let me know.
September 1st, 2005 at 1:56 pm
Places to Donate Funds
Screw all the squabbling of who will or will not end up raising more funds, the right or the left, just donate what you can wherever you feel it will do the most good, where you feel most comfortable or
September 1st, 2005 at 8:55 pm
I think it is important to remember that Habitat for Humanity is funded mostly through donations. Yes, it would be wonderful to go and actually help build a house or other building, but not everyone is able to do that or comfortable doing that. However, those same people can still donate to this worthy cause now and the funds will be there and ready for use as soon as it is possible to get into New Orleans, Mississippi, etc.
I also think for people who wish to donate to any organization should do so regarless of when the money will get to the areas of need. The important thing is that the money (and items the money is used to purchase) will get there and whenever that is, I am sure it will still be needed. It is also a good idea to collect now while emotions are still running high. Unfortunately, memories are short and there will be a time when the desire to donate will diminish and that time will most likely be when the need is still great.
This is not to say hands on help isn’t needed. If you can donate time, manual labor, or other help, go for it!