Assistance

[substitute]

I finally donated to Habitat for Humanity's Katrina rebuilding fund. I think they'll actually put the money where they say they will, and there's going to be a lot of people without housing.

I just can't stomach the American Red Cross. They lied and killed people during the early AIDS years, they drive up the price of blood by selling it to brokers, they take money for causes and spend it how they wish, and they charged my grandfather for coffee during the First World War. BLEAH.

Thanks to rroseselavyoui for the list of donation possibilities. I actually went direct to habitat.org because I figured that site probably shaved a bit off the top.

Comments

[substitute.livejournal.com]

Sadly, the American Red Cross has a history of taking cash for a disaster and using it for whatever they want. Happened with the 9/11 appeal and with the SF quake too. Apparently it's more likely to help if you give to your local chapter. I'm just through with them, though.

[rroseselavyoui.livejournal.com]

Most of the other general relief options were religious, so I went for the least common denominator.

[substitute.livejournal.com]

I'm not about to donate to the Salvation Army, but I'd rather have Jimmy Carter's people building houses than the American Red Cross buying themselves some new office furniture.

[scromp.livejournal.com]

Yep, I overcame my distrust of the Red Cross after 9/11 thinking that a centralized quick response was best, and they wound up "repurposing" it. Never again. I sent an equal amount to a friend in DC who just went down to the Pentagon and asked some firefighters what they needed, and went to Wal*Mart to get it for them. Guess which I consider money well spent?

I have donated to AmeriCares since then, who seem to be really damn efficient and on the ball. They're also pretty communicative about what they've been doing with it.

This time I'll do another one to the Humane Society as well, since, well. yeah.