News Blog Comments
Also the head of the Red Cross went on Larry King, the night after the hurricane, and scolded people who hadn't evacuated: "maybe they'll listen next time" or words to that effect.
I have no interest in giving to an organization whose leader is devoid of empathy or understanding of what it's like to be poor.
The Salvation Army actually does a lot of great stuff, and has a long-term presence in the poor areas of most cities. However, I know they have an issue with homophobia.
I'm not the most educated on this subject (or a lot of other subjects, really), but I'd guess Habitat for Humanity might be worthwhile.
No charity is perfect, hell, nothing is perfect.
I don't know who the "head" of the Red Cross is in the US; but I'll bet that if he decided to take his expertise in crisis managment into the private sector he'd be earning a lot more that $600k/yr
I'm slightly aquainted with several of the very few paid members of the international Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, and to a person, they have sacrificed really well paying careers to make about 1/2-to-1/4 of what they could make if they were't doing "charity work". As well, it's not uncommon for them to spend their vacations doing volunteer charity work.
I've heard many progressives speak positively about ACORN, an organization that might be a good target for donations.
First there are a variety of organizations that monitor how various charities operate.
This is a couple of links. More can be found on the web.
http://www.charitywatch.org/tips.html
http://www.heartsandminds.org/ar...es/
wisegive.htm
Like you, I have problems with both The American Red Cross, and The Salvation Army.
I also think the idea of putting together a T-shirt, and giving whatever funds are raised by it to the charity of your choice is excellent. You might want to discuss this with John Aravosis, and DC Media Girl. John is using the sale of T-shirts and other merchandise to finance AMERCIAblog, and DC Media Girl has her own store at TPM Cafe.
From what I've seen, the red cross is very questionable for several reasons and not your best bet for getting funds and supplies directly to the actual people in need. I'd recommend checking out Veterans For Peace "Camp Casey-Covington Katrina Relief" on www.michaelmoore.com. They went straight from Crawford to LA, and have been there ever since getting food and supplies directly to the people. You can easily find links on the main page.
We gave to Habitat for Humanity and Second Harvest. Homes, food. That works for me. For general giving, locally, we give to Habitat, the local food bank, and the local utility fund for low income people. Again: housing, food, utilities. Can't argue with that.
bunch of us are doing a couple of things:
1. donating to orgs recommended by the Sparkplus Foundation: http://katrina.mayfirst.org/
2. a batch of folks: Kossacks, Deanfolk, Dems and AAFD people are working together to bring the progressive blogosphere's massive potential support to the affected people, with the leadership of the affected people. please mail terriATde-ipro.jp if you're interested in joining that effort.
The hands down choice is the American Friends Service Committee. Yeah, the Quakers. They've been around a long time and have a Nobel Peace Prize on their resume. From their website:
The American Friends Service Committee carries out service, development, social justice, and peace programs throughout the world. Founded by Quakers in 1917 to provide conscientious objectors with an opportunity to aid civilian war victims, AFSC's work attracts the support and partnership of people of many races, religions, and cultures.
AFSC's work is based on the Quaker belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice. The organization's mission and achievements won worldwide recognition in 1947 when it accepted the Nobel Peace Prize with the British Friends Service Council on behalf of all Quakers.
While you're at their website, sign their anti-war petition and buy a "Wage Peace" bracelet.
Food Bank NYC is holding a Katrina Food Drive on Saturday September 17th in conjunction with City Harvest.
"Volunteers are needed on September 17th at drop off sites around the city, between 9am - 4pm. Volunteers are also needed during the week of September 19 to help sort and repack the collected food for shipment to areas affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Volunteering is a great, easy way to get involved in helping get donations for the hurricane. Please contact Debbie Sheintoch, Manager of Volunteer Services, at (212) 566-7855 if you are interested in volunteering for the food drive."
I know you have lots of NYC readers so this is a good opportunity to either help in the short term. Maybe readers of The News Blog can get together and help out and you can post some pictures.
I don't know who the "head" of the Red Cross is in the US; but I'll bet that if he decided to take his expertise in crisis managment into the private sector he'd be earning a lot more that $600k/yr
First off, it's a woman.
Second, no one needs or deserves more than $200,000 to live in this world, and most of all , run a charity. We've become quite accustomed to accepting greed as being 'right'.
I don't know who the "head" of the Red Cross is in the US; but I'll bet that if he decided to take his expertise in crisis managment into the private sector he'd be earning a lot more that $600k/yr
To pick up folkers point, the woman's name, according to Wikipedia, is Rear Admiral Marsha J. Evans (USN, ret.) and her base salary is $651,957 per year
I don't give to the Red Cross. I give to Mercy Corps.
I would like to second the Mercy Corps and ACORN (particularly ACORN, since it looks like Bush et al. are going to screw low-income workers in the reconstruction).
Clothing is also needed, particularly plus-sized women's clothing. I believe Michael Moore's site has instructions for where to send it.
I've seen Mercy Corps do relief work in East Africa and was very impressed. I believe they have a very good relief/admin ratio (90+%).
Habitat for Humanity is also a good choice, and as reconstruction will be one of the greatest needs, it's my choice for both cash and time donation.
I second the motion for American Friends Service Committee; also Americares.
And don't forget to save a few bucks to send to Noah's Wish. This organization is doing GREAT work in rescuing abaondoned pets AND trying to reunite them with their owners.
I'd like to second the AFSC. They typically work on peace and justice issues and are spending money on hurricane relief. Personally, I acted without thinking and gave to the Red Cross. I don't think it was "money down the drain" but it could have gone to a more reliable charity, and that's enough to make me very much regret it.
Don't forget that the head of the Red Cross is a retired Rear Admiral. The retired grade is 08-09 depending upon lower or upper half of the title.
The retired pay for an officer is based upon grade and years of service. The typical retired Admiral has served for 30 years and the base retired for pay for that grade is $8,255 to $9,111 PER MONTH! That retirement pay PLUS $651,957
adds up to an OBSCENE amount.
I could live on that, couldn't you!
I could care less how much the head of the Red Cross makes. The organization as a whole does good work. If you're looking for the perfect charity in this world, you won't find it.
I'm still wondering where all the money the Red Cross raised after 9/11 has gone.
If you're looking for the perfect charity in this world, you won't find it.
Daryl | 09.16.05 - 8:42 am
Wrong! The perfect charity is the one that begins at home.
Operation USA.
http://opusa.org
"Operation USA, a non-profit Los Angeles-based disaster relief agency in operation for over 26 years, assists developing communities here and abroad in addressing problems relating to natural and man-made disasters and chronic poverty through the creation of sustainable health, nutrition and disaster response programs. We provide essential materials, training, advocacy and financial support for such programs."
America's Second Harvest is one that was there out of the gate and highly recommended. My brother is doing a concert to raise money for hurricane relief and that's where the money will go.
Now, far more controversial (for some, not me)— I sent money to NNAF (Natl. Network of Abortion Funds) The clinics in the affected area have been wiped out. The clinics in the areas where evacuees have been sent are taking on a much larger clientele. Folks who were poor before, are desperately poor now and for some, THOSE WHO FREELY CHOOSE, having a baby now is just an impossibility.
Here's the e-mail message I got about this:
Only a few days after the hurricane hit, clinics in the surrounding
area were getting calls from women who had evacuated their homes and
needed abortions. Many abortion clinics in cities and states
surrounding the devastated area are offering to provide free
abortions for women who can produce ID proving that they are
residents of affected areas. Up-to-date information is posted at
Abortion Clinics On-Line, http://www.gynpages.com (see below)
NNAF has established an emergency fund for abortion care for women
and girls affected by the hurricane. Our national casemanager, Lynn
Jackson, will coordinate this funding for women affected. Lynn will
take calls from the women needing help, from member funds, and from
clinics working to help women from the hurricane region. WRRAP has
also set up a special fund to assist women affected by the hurricane.
Together, the Network and member funds will work to help as many
women and girls as possible.
We believe that the abortion funding needs of women and girls from
the hurricane region will grow substantially over the next weeks and
months. Many women may have to delay their abortions as they deal
with other survival issues and will likely seek second-trimester
abortions that require increased funding.
If you know people interested in making a donation to help with this
effort, tax-deductible donations for abortion care for hurricane
victims can be sent to NNAF at the following address. Please earmark
gifts: Hurricane Victims Abortion Fund.
NNAF
42 Seaverns Avenue
Boston, MA 02130
The Red Cross is a charity built on the "Republican" model.
In Alaska following the Good Friday earthquake, they were late, and charged for everything.
By contrast, the Salvation Army, whose proselytizing and politics I abhor, were there promptly, and provided aid for free.
Additionally, you KNOW they the Red Cross will pull what they tried to do after 911, and take a cut of the money to buy PCs for the home office, and maybe remodel the President's office.
They do this after EVERY emergency that leads to a donation spike.
Fuck them.
Let's also remember that they are the organization most responsible for killing most of the Hemophiliacs in America.
They fought AIDS testing of blood for years, because they have a for profit subsidiary that sells the products of the expired blood, like clotting factor and dried plasma, and they did not want to throw it out. It would cost them too much money.
The AIDS thing happened under Liddy Dole, BTW.
I do have to agree that I don't find the $650K/year to be a big thing.
That's about 19x the median wage, which is not excessive by today's standards.
Remember, the top 1% in income is now about $350K.
FWIW, I don't think that ANYONE executive or athlete should be earning more than about a million dollars a year.
That money comes from the people below them.
I am a Druidian with Christian roots. Therefore I consider myself part of the neo-Pagan community. There is an organization called Avalon Cares which has been recieving donations and sending truckload missions to the affected areas. Here is a recent letter. Please consider helping them to help the victims of the flood.
-------copy------
Avalon Cares wrote:
From: "Avalon Cares" joie@avaloncares.org
Subject: Avalon Cares News Update
I have replied to dozens, but working full-time as a Deputy Sheriff,
coordinating personally with the disaster area to make sure our assistance goes where it is needed and smooth, too, and then letting our Guardian who is handling the entire ground effort in this "battle" to get the supplies loaded and brought in takes more time than I have to give. I am receiving several hundred individual emails per day, running the official infosite and forum at www.AvalonCares.org and a small Yahoo group another volunteer set up. Mercy, I need everyone on the same distro 
The first delivery tomorrow is to Prentiss, Mississippi, in the heart of the hardest hit region of Katrina landfall. It is in Jefferson Davis County, beneath Madison County (Sheriff Toby Tobridge) which some have emailed concern about. Sheriff Tobridge's county seat is about an hour north of Prentiss, and I am working personally with the leaders in Prentiss which is the county seat of Jefferson Davis County. IOW, as this works out, we are on top of it .
Martial law and blocked roads is why we're going in at Prentiss. This is
serving as a hub for the area and smaller trucks on a daily basis are
funnelling out to outlying areas what supplies aren't needed in Jefferson
Davis County. They are also supplying into New Orleans on a near daily basis
from there. You may have seen or heard about Hattiesburg, Miss., and how it
got decimated by tornados during the hurricane. This is close by and also
took the same devastation.
Clothing has been taken care of, as of an hour ago when I last talked to the
Coordinator on her cell phone as we went final on details of our delivery
tomorrow of the HUGE truckload of supplies, plus a trailer load. For gas and manning shortage problems, we have decided to consolidate all eight smaller truckloads into two big ones (one rented). Plans have been complicated by hurricane Ophelia sitting right beside our loading crews and raining on them, but they just left for the FL panhandle (where I am, on the way) to sleep a few hours here and then go in with me tomorrow to Miss.
We'll be taking alot of pictures and I will talk to leaders face to face
about thier needs and what THEY need and want and coordinate closely with
them for facts. I have based my planning on that and already am hearing great reviews from Mississippi about how delighted they are that we LISTEN to them and bring them what they so desperately need. I heard today we're among the only folks who do that so far, are asking the smaller locations used to being ignored more often and relieve alot of stress for them to be free of red tape and strings. This region has essentially rejected FEMA when they finally showed up and are furious about constant incidences of supplies being turned away by FEMA, and being told their needs have to be "bid out" before they can be supplied, that donated goods aren't how they do business.
Well, it is how real people do business. You give food to the hungry and water to the thirsty. You don't bid it out while they suffer and you don't reject help when it arrives. But, FEMA and the government IS doing this to the victims of Katrina.
Pagans and Emergency personnel affiliated with Officers of Avalon are NOT doing business this way, and rejoice to help anyone who needs, and to work with anyone who feels the same. This first load in from us includes goods donated by a local Christian Churches in Volusia County, Florida. When hurricane Ophelia cut our help from the local Police due to manning/new storm concerns, this Christian group jumped up and offered to drive a truck with us to go and help.
This is how it SHOULD be. It's about helping. It's about finding common
ground and building bridges, and I am proud of being a small part of such a
movement. Whether you believe the Divine is a man or a woman, a committee or a dictator, forgetful or intimately involved in every aspect of our lives,this much we can agree on, and must. If it prospers, this may be the only good large enough to help compensate us for the tremendous loss of precious lives.
Please forward this to all interested people freely. The information is
current about the very latest happenings at Avalon Cares as of 1740 hours CST, on Friday, Sept 9, 2005. Sometime on Sunday after my return, I will bring you more news straight from the source and advise how it went.
Blessings to all,
Mambo Joie Balindjo
The Red Cross is swimming in cash, to the very real detriment of the organizations that will have to do the actual rebuilding once the immediate crisis ends. Obviously, that's going to take a while, but the Red Cross doesn't build houses or find people jobs. The vast majority of the money donated has gone to them, and the other orgs are likely going to find their cupboards bare when they -- and the people of the afflicted areas -- need the money the most.
Me? I gave to the Red Cross immediately after Katrina, but future donations won't go to them. I also gave an equal amount to the Humane Society's effort down there. I've always found animals to be better people than people.
Wrong! The perfect charity is the one that begins at home.
Sometimes.
BTW here's the fine print in Arbusto Crawford's speech last night:
Within this zone, we should provide immediate incentives for job-creating investment blah, blah blah ad nauseum and now a word from our sponsor
Should huh? I smell a Halliburton coming.
i've disliked the Red Cross ever since i read that they rejected a donation by one of the Dixie Chicks (read it in Vogue, of all places).
I, too, was disappointed with the way the Red Cross handled the 9/11 money. I don't give to them any more.
So far, for Katrina, I've written checks to Charity Hospital in N.O. and to a relief fund relocating evacuees in San Diego.
I second the American Freinds Service Comittee, Habitat for Humanity and ACORN good organizations. I've seen all of them in action locally doing good work that needs to be done. The NAACP's work on this project looks good too.
Considering the way this help for New Orleans has gone, exactly what are we prepared for? What if it had been a terrorist act? Todd Lokken
Since we have a relative who works in a small-town elementary school that is enrolling more than 100 kids who are living in a nearby shelter-- which, she tells us, is run by the Red Cross but is receiving only minimat attention from the RC-- we are sending school supplies, new clothing items, books, and phone cards for the families, who have no way to get in touch with the outside world. (No long-distance privileges on the shelter phone, I guess.) If you know anyone in any of the areas where evacuees have ended up, they can probably tell you what they need. Otherwise, Habitat is a great charity, as is the Humane Society.
If salaries are going to be your designator for which charities to give to read this:
Snipped:
One charity has stayed above all this for 137 years. The Salvation Army is unique among all U.S. charities for many reasons. Let’s start at the top.
--Commissioner Todd Bassett ( Salvation Army ) receives a salary just $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this $2 Billion dollar organization.
--Brian Gallagher, President of the United Way receives a $375,000 base salary (plus numerous expensive benefits)
--Red Cross President Marsha Evans receives $450,000 salary plus benefits
(From: http://forums.streport.com/modul...iewtopic&p=156)
Similar Googles on Salvation Army AND Salaries has shown up with equally low pay here in USA and UK.
PS
They are also the ONLY responder in many places in Alabama and Mississippi with hot meals trucks rolling through towns -- and no FEMA been seen since a photo op in many of those same towns.
Give to the Salvation Army. They really seem to give everything they have to those who need it.
My husband came back from Vietnam a broken, disabled man, not the same person who was the top Marine in the graduating class,a former eagle scout and champion gymnast, football player, etc. We went to Salvation army to find him a pair of shoes. There was a pair of jungle boots, which had never been given to those actually needing them in the field, that fit him. We were(and are) poor. Salvation army wouldn't lower their price. Screw them.And the Red Cross.I give spare change to the homeless right here in my town.
PS Humane Society and ASPCA, are also worthwhile. Yep also agree with Habitat for Humanity.
I have to add, in support of several of the posters above: The Salvation Army is the only charity I've ever regularly given significant amounts of money to.
It's weird, because I definitely don't believe in the SA's brand of religion. But they're the ones that I've heard the least bad things about, as far as the distribution of donations goes.
I have given to the Humane Society with the money earmarked to Hurricane relief. Based on their videos and photos, and reports from some people I know in the area, they are working hard. Also, Habitat For Humanity is good--they do great work for people near me locally and I plan to give to them soon (next paycheck). I have also given to Noah's Wish--they are not in NOLA, instead when FEMA was banning every last fricking rescue group from NOLA, they just went to Slidell instead, so got a good head start there. (This is another animal one.)
I don't plan to give money to the Red Cross, but I do plan to donate blood at the upcoming blood drive. No one can screw up that, lol.
Welcome to the non-profit world!!!
Having had a bird's eye view, there's a lot of waste in charities. Even the charities who say that 100% of their monies go to their mission, engage in voodoo accounting that makes it look that way.
The Red Cross messed up the 9/11 money. I give to them, but in piddling amounts. I don't have a lot to give anyway. I think the CEO of Red Cross makes way too much money. It just looks bad. But I'll bet the other execs make a bundle too. And having witnessed firsthand, there's a lot of incompetance in the Senior Management hierarchy of charitable organizations with execs who pontificate in public, but whose private lives reflect that they are nothing more than fat cats living large and who care nothing about the mission. It's just work.
For the Tsunami, I gave to the Daily News who promised to send 100% of the money. This time, the little I have, I sent to Barbara Hazy, a black woman profiled on CNN who lives in Texas and took in 50 working class families. If you go to the video feed on CNN.com you probably can view the segment. I was just so impressed with her and the families, some who had already found jobs and were putting their lives back in order. Hey, they were like me and contrary to the images on tv that seem to focus on the folks who were poor and on welfare with lots of children. People forget that many hard-working blacks live side by side with blacks who are indigent poor and uneducated. I do.
I will be giving my little bit on a regular basis and will probably choose Habitat for Humanity and be on the lookout for other charities who seem to be doing good work. People give to the Red Cross, because it's what they know. But if you can, do a little research and spread it around.
More than 100 pets arrived at Denver International Airport Wednesday night so they could be sheltered at the Denver Dumb Friends League.
The animals were given medical attention, vaccinated and tagged, and about 40 of them are expected to be transferred to the Humane Society of Boulder Valley.
The long-term cost of helping the pets of Katrina will be expensive. It will be an enormous challange to match people with their animals over such distances.
If you would like to donate to the cause, send a check to the Colorado Veterinary Medical Foundation Katrina Fund at 789 Sherman St. Suite 550 in Denver, 80203.
One hundred percent of the funds received will be used to help the animal hurricane victims.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/...206/
detail.html
I'm currently selling a few t-shirts that I designed myself through eBay and Mission Fish. (The design came from a class assignment in a Commerical Illustration course I was taking last year when I had to illustrate a story about the annual New Orleans Jazz Festival and I basically digitized it into a few t-shirt transfers.) 100% of the funds will go through AmeriCares.
I'm a Unitarian Universalist and I'm proud of the fact that the Unitarian Universalist Association is raising money to help rebuild the UU congregations that were nearly ruined by the disaster as well as helping to rebuild the surrounding communities where the congregations are located. Nearly all the funds raised will go towards this effort. Unfortunately this campaign has received little notice by either the media or FEMA. Here'sthe link for more information on this.
Kim,
Nice shirt.
We are contributing to Mennonite Disaster Relief, for the simple fact that they are doing things, seeking volunteers to help in lots of areas, not just areas affected by Katrina.
http://www.mds.mennonite.net/
I am 74 years old and have long supported the Salvation Army.
Just recently my wife and I loaded a large collection of clothing household 'stuff' to donate to a wothy charity. I then drove 12 miles thru heavy Atlanta traffic on a Friday afternoon to the nearest Salvation Army Collection Center. The place had no collections dock so I unloaded the first heavy box from the trunk.
I lugged the container inside the Center and placed it on a collections counter. I was greeted by a dowdy looking woman with a backwoods country southern accent who told me in no uncertain terms that they stopped collecting at 'fahve' and that it was now 'fahve atter fahve'. I tried to appeal to her better nature by explaining that I had been delayed in traffic. But her attitude was strictly one of 'fuck you' as she replied "Ah caint hep at"---.
I didn't leave the box. But I did leave determined to never again send a quarterly check in support of the Sakvation Army---no matter what the cause. RSP
I'd second the vote for Habitat for Humanity. They've built a lot of badly-needed low-income housing here in my Jersey hometown.
It's important to remember that the wages need to compete with the private markets to acquire the best people. I think that wage fits the guidelines.
That's the way it is like it or not.
For what it's worth, we donated to Salvation Army and the National Food Bank. (Dry goods to SA, money to NFB, since NFB pledged to give 100% to the relief, and Red Cross makes no such pledge.)
I don't trust the Red Cross to do the right thing. I still recall how they bungled the early days of the HIV epidemic.
Don't be sure that collecting blood can't be screwed up. The Red Cross won't let me donate because I've been abroad too much. Here's a thought: take my blood, and then test it to make sure it's OK!
People complain about the excessive salary for the Red Cross President, and I agree with that criticism, but a lot of ACORN organizers get burnt out, because they are expected to work 70 hours a week for $20,000 in Boston.
Habitat is good.
Salvation Army is good of you want to feed people now.
I don't know much about America's Second Harvest, but I've heard good things.
I think that some of the religious charities are really good about doing long-term development work, but that's not really appropriate for a blog fundraiser, and, of course, part of what they'll be doing is rebuilding houses of worship.
Lutheran Disaster Relief cuts checks to Lutherans. Episcopal Relief and Development will help to rebuild churches and work on housing and long-term poverty issues.
The question comes down to where will the money do the most good? Local churches across the South are currently bearing huge costs trying to feed and house people.
AFSC has ties with some of them going back to the Civil Rights Movement and the Quakers have people on the ground trying to figure out where to put their resources.
NAACP has good ties to the local churches and they are promoting exactly the right kind of organization for the displaced.
America's Second Harvest is preparing for an ongoing food need as the damage to the economy and the lack of housing pushes thousands of families into desperate poverty.
Those are three good choices and they are working to support the local structures which already exist.
I work with humanitarian agencies and I always prefer to support local capacities rather than encouraging outsiders to make decisions for local people. This is one reason the Red Cross is not an organization I give to. There are excellent local offices of the RC, but there is no assurance that donations to a general fund will make their way to them. (When I know an office is a good one and I know someone in it, I'll send some cash, but I can't advocate for that.)
Oxfam is working inside the US for the first time. They are the best logistical organization in the world when it comes to moving food and water. They saw the incredible lack of coordination and put teams into the field almost immediately.
MercyCorps is also very good. Some of the best people and most effective aid workers I've ever had the pleasure of working with.
The church is a mess but Catholic Charities USA does good work. According to their website they expect 'about 96 to 97 percent of the donations will go directly to victim assistance.' Don't know what is left of Catholic Charities for the Archdioces of New Orleans but last year they spent over 94% of their revenue on programs. The Catholics are pretty good usually an A- but they can't beat the Quakers who are always A or A+ in the charity watchdog ratings.
That non profits have to compete with competitive salaries with private industry is standard non profit PR propaganda that they give to donors who bitch about salaries. Sure people deserve a decent salary, but that these salaries attract 'good people,' well that ain't even hardly the truth. Just like the private sector, there is incompetency on all levels. The labor dept makes it difficult to fire people and so mediocre employees get a pass. At least that was the case where I was. Acorn should pay their employees more and maybe the Red Cross should consider paying a little less.
Not everyone affiliated with the Red Cross is swimming in money. I know my local branch is not. Anyway, does anyone know of any charities that specifically deal with the needs of children?
DO NOT send money to the Red Cross. Google in 9/11 and Red Cross to see that they KEEP most of the money they receive for "administrative" costs. My husband tells the story of his uncle being in WWII and buying cigarettes from the Red Cross and opening the package and inside was a slip saying they were donated by such and such a company. I've heard the same story about blankets.
We like Doctors Without Borders although I've not heard if they are doing work in the south. When the tsunami hit we received an e-mail saying they were accepting no more donations for tsunami relief as they had received all they would need. I like that. Also, for our four-legged friends we like Noah's wish. Small and really grassroots workers.
I gave to Habitat for Humanity.
I agree that Mercy Corps, Second Harvest, and American Friends Service Committee are also good.
For a blog fundraiser perhaps the best would be the organization that Cindy Sheehan and Michael Moore set up. They are on the ground giving aid in a very grassroots way. The big minus is as they are new they don't really have a track record to go by.
Many Conservative synagogues were heavily damaged by Katrina, and many of their congregants have lost their homes and/or been displaced (like the rest of the communities around them).
You can give to the United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism at the link below:
http://www.uscj.org/
Hurricane_Re...efYou_6553.html
You can also give to Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger -- they've been working with America's Second Harvest to help feed the hurricane survivors.
http://www.mazon.org/
What_You_Sh...ane_Katrina.asp
The ASPCA and Humane Society both have rescue teams working around the clock. Visit www.ASPCA.org, www.HSUS.org, or my website for links. They really need the help.
Just a reminder: Habitat is working on getting homes pre-built in various locations, then disassembling them and moving them to where they're needed.
We (my wife and I) have also had the same dilema - wanting to somehow help (monetarily at a minimum), but not being sure how best to do this. Please post any good responses to your request for info. Thanks...
P.S. Love you blog - it's on the top of my (and, I believe, my wife's) list of mandatory daily blog reads.
Since you've got a critter in the pic, may I suggest www.noahswish.com
All they do is pet rescue.
we split ours between my husband's union relief fund (CWA), second harvest, and the mennonite disaster relief service. i have issues with both the red cross and the salvation army.
Thank you, Barry -- I was just about to recommend Noah's Wish. Excellent group, all about animal rescue. The Times-Picayune website has some photos from their shelter in Slidell.
Another vote here for Mercy Corps.
Along with RevDeb, jnfr and several others, my first endorsement, and most of my contributed money, goes to America's Second Harvest. They match up surplus food with people who need it, and have established networks and relationships with distributors, so they don't blow a lot on overhead. Send them a check.
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