Had a United Way (don't know if I'm allowed to mention, but anyway) drive at work today. Can you see where this is going? I have my reservations about (let's just say) "operational charities".

I firmly believe in giving direct and giving locally! I've served in several mission based kitchens through the years, but this "PRIVELAGE" and opportunity was from word of mouth and community familiarity.

I have moved. Now, I have (a little) bread that I can part with for a good cause, and a strong back.


......any ideas for direct giving.....and making it stretch to keep someone warm with lights on, a meal, and some toothpaste?

I find where the homeless hang.
They are ALWAYS grateful, for
the smallest of things.

LIKE! I'm down for a buck or two if if I can spare it. Even if it IS for a beer SO WHAT! Feel the moment to moment thing!

Very cool!

Still looking to stretch the buck for basics, however.

......AND Back!

I've gone as far as calling the utility companies and paid other peoples bills. Interestingly enough, when I've done this I've asked the company to help out as well and they will often times pitch in.

Or, purchase groceries and bring to the homeless. Make sure they are items they can use. (ie If you buy canned goods, make sure you include a can opener).

You could set up an acct. at a local Goodwill (or a store such as this) with a few hundred dollars (more or less) and instructions to "pay for all items until the money runs out."

You could call your local churches/missions and see what they are in need of (ie blankets, toiletries, etc.). Check with the local food pantry as well. They usually need volunteers to help with the distribution too.

There's a few ideas for you. Good luck and bless you!

I give a lot of money to waitresses. The more angry, pissed-off, and nasty looking, the more money. Not to pick them up -- famous last words -- it's just that they work so hard and I don't.

I live in a new town which is populated with nicer people than the big megapolis was, or they behave nicer, anyway, the effect is that people thank things, and I always give two dollar coins to bums, but limit myself to one or maximum two coins for this very purpose per day. If this becomes a habit, me and my family will suffer. Moderation is the key to everything.

I eat at soup kitchens. The food is usually very edible, but scanty. I hate it that I go in hungry, and come out hungry. This is so stupid -- I don't have to get out of the house to be or stay or become hungry, so wtf? I hate jewish Christian charities. They give with one hand, but run after it and take some of it back with the other.

I also like the charity ladies, you know, the soup-kitchen cooks. In one place they are like soup nazis from Seinfeld, they stand around the food, you line up, one person, one flop of the lathelful of slop, next, if you do something out-of-line, you face six big-titty ladies with formidable wooden spoons in their hands. Nobody ever gets out of line. In another place, the serving staff is friendly, almost friends with us, but they do draw the line. They are usually gorgeous chicks with toddlers, they eat with us. At another place the stench is horrible, and at another place they give you stuff to take home, but not the serving ladies.

In this small town it has become the vogue of the religious to feed the poor. For local churches (I am an atheist, by the by, I don't believe in Church), it is a status symbol to have more beggars to eat ther slop (restricted to soups, alas) than the church next door. Sorta keeping up with the Godses, you know? So now they advertise on billboards, to pull in the unsuspecting bum who walks down the street, and two elders surround him and throw him into the lion's den of soup ladies and austere sitting conditions.

There are now more church soup kitchens than bums, and there is a bum-war between churches. This is the best I could ever ask for in my entire existence so far, on this globe, or off.

-------

Oh, and somebody got some mail, too, ding-dang-dong.

Call or visit your local Salvation Army or one of the churches. All of them work with local residents and provide not only food, but also gifts for children. You might also check with some of the retailers, like K-Mart, that has a giving tree, where you pick an envelope from the tree and buy for a child.

We had a news release here yesterday that someone paid off 3 people's lay-aways at KMart. Only stipulation that she had was that the layaways had to contain toys. It amounted to over $500.

We have a local charity here and it caters to the people who live here in my city. I know the woman who runs it and that's where I donate to. I know the people who are being helped are literally my neighbors right here.

Before you give to a charity, I suggest you look it up here. charitynavigator.org

That way you can see how much of your dontations actually go to the people who need it as opposed to being soaked up in administrative costs.

And, please remember, there are many, many charity scams out there. During the holiday season and after natural disasters they increase. Be careful!!

It's not only about what you can offer materialistically. You can offer help in what seems the silliest ways and be appreciated. For example..you can help with someones yard who is unable to or wash a elderly persons car or anything that helps a person who can no longer to the job themselves.

As mentioned above. I give to the homeless in person. But them a bunch of burgers and stuff. I only give to the Humane Society other than that. And next week for one week. I pay for the persons order behind me at the Starbucks drive thru:)

I seriously volunteer for a spay and neuter charity in Ventura. ALL VOLUNTEER. Every dime goes to spay and neutering with the exception that in extreme medical emergencies we write small vouchers such as a dog getting creamed by a car. It's a thrift store that funds it. If you buy cologne and hate, we will take it and sell. You get too thin for your clothes? We take them. You retire from the military and don't want your fatigues? We take them. You retire and stop wearing dress shirts and ties, we taken them.

Also, there is a food pantry by me that has a free thrift store for the people who go there. It's part of a church. You get so many items. I often go to the dollar store and do buy toothpaste and shampoo, etc. for the thrift store and it's extremely popular. Also I read a lot and if I want to pass a book or twenty, very popular.

If you have a homeless friend who will not take advantage, there is something called a "Hollywood Shower". That means they get to stand in hot water as long as they want and use real toiletries and towels. They REALLY appreciate this luxury. I have also made bags of dollar store toiletries and razors and a nice towel and given them to homeless friends because those shelters give them like a bar of crap soap. The guys love razors. Dollar store perfume can mean everything to a homeless female stripped of every luxury. My ex's brother was homeless and I literally would drive to the mission and sit outside and talk to him and his friends. NO ONE DOES THIS. I was not his sister in law but I got the rep of being "Chad's sister in law". I would give you a dollar or pack of gum to take me directly to him. Or a ride to the mission if I got lost. They would hug me and cry that their friends and family did not care. Also smuggling a homeless friend premium cigs. BIG DEAL. You have to do it like drugs though every discreet or everyone bothers them. Let homeless people who you know hug you. I just avoided cold sores if they kissed me and I always figured the worst thing that could happen was I might need RID. That never happened. ALSO doing a homeless friend's laundry with actually Downey or something HUGE DEAL. OR a package of nice thick socks.

A group I work with (the Jaycees) "adopts" 20 families. We collect food and provide the families with boxes of food as well as gifts for the children.

I always google the local charities and see what they need. For example; a few years ago they needed blankets, pillows, disposable razors, coffee mugs, etc. Of course food banks can always use some donations.

I will try to do something nice for a friend or family member
anonymously if possible. This way I know that it goes to someone
I know can really use the help and also someone I care deeply
about.

I also will give to one or another established charity also but I do
check them out and make sure that I agree with how they are spending
the money.

Once I found out that a certain food establishment was throwing out
a large amount of not very perishable items every day. A friend of
mine and I approached them to see if we could instead distribute
their discarded food to one or another food charity. It was a very
frustrating experience. The food charities did not want something
which would have a shorter shelf life and the food supplier did not
want the responsibility of putting out a day old product officially
in the remote chance that someone would claim it made them ill.

So it turned out basically that there was no way to get them to donate
these perfectly good food items to people who really needed them.
For a while we rescued them from the dumpster and handed them out
as a kind of - our responsibility ends when we put them in the
trash kind of thing...but it was an inefficient process.

I would love nothing more than to be able to give. When I had time/money I did. These days, for me, are spent working 4 jobs just to keep my head at water level and not lose my home. Part of me feels guilty because there are so many people less fortunate than me. I consider myself blessed that I have some food in the house <even tho my fridge is mostly bare > and have a warm place to sleep. I do say prayers for those that are cold and hungry every night. I hope my prayers are sufficient at this time in my life .

Yes, I have come to understand the same thing with our local food bank. It is amazing how hard it is to get food that's going in the trash to the people who need it. Food cannot be donated from restaurants. But, most of the grocery stores around here give their excess food supply. And, we have some orchards that donate fruit that will go to waste.

You have a spirit of gratitude and that is a beautiful thing. I am sure it will be rewarded.

We donate our excess eggs to the local Helping Hands. They've never said anything about food issues.