[KYHAM] Unsolicited Donations
Ron Dodson
ka4map at ispky.com
Wed Aug 31 14:53:37 EDT 2005
Please help spread this information as wide as possible to prevent
the piles of loose bags, cans and unusable items from developing again
for this disaster.
Sometimes Unsolicited Donations are their own disaster AFTER the
disaster!
After 9/11 and many disasters much donated supplies were thrown away as
the source was either unidentifiable or the supplies were not what was
needed at the time. Cash works far better to get the proper supplies to
disaster victims. Examples: Tons of dog food were sent to the 9/11 sites
for search dogs but was unusable as these dogs have special diets and
did not eat the type of food donated. Vicks Vapo-rub appeared by the
ton. While it was a nice sentiment, it served little purpose. Also old
golf clubs, used prom dresses etc. do disaster victims no good at all.
Also, you make the call. Do not give credit card numbers etc. over the
phone if they called you. Likely it is someone pulling a con. YOU MAKE
THE CALL!
Unsolicited Donations Public Message
Thank you for your support to those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Monetary contributions to the relief efforts are well received by
charities, NGOs and others helping to provide disaster relief, but
donated
goods are in ample supply and additions to those supplies are not needed
at this time...
Those that can give, we suggest you donate monetarily through
organizations working in the affected areas.
Contributions of Cash - Donate Through an Organization
Monetary contributions allow the professional relief organizations to
purchase exactly what is most urgently needed by disaster victims and
to pay for the transportation necessary to distribute the supplies.
The organizations involved regularly update their information to the
coordination office which allows the needs to be made known.
Donations of money given to recognized relief organizations are tax
deductible and allow the relief supplies to be purchased in locations
near the disaster site. This stimulates the economy and ensures the
supplies will arrive as quickly as possible.
Funds to organizations that provide long-term recovery ensures
long-term needs of disaster victims are addressed months after the
response phase has concluded.
Distributing the relief supplies requires personnel and financial
resources
within the affected area. When unsolicited truckloads of items arrive at
a
disaster site there is often no place to unload the goods. This often
creates a problem resulting in not being able to utilize the items
regardless of the need.
A few of the many National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
(NVOAD) accepting monetary donations:
American Red Cross
1-800-HELP NOW (435-7669) English,
1-800-257-7575 Spanish;
Operation Blessing
1-800-436-6348
America's Second Harvest
1-800-344-8070
Donate Cash to and Volunteer with:
Adventist Community Services
1-800-381-7171
Catholic Charities, USA
Phone: 800-919-9338
Christian Disaster Response
941-956-5183 or 941-551-9554
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee
1-800-848-5818
Church World Service
1-800-297-1516 ext. 222
Convoy of Hope
417-823-8998
Lutheran Disaster Response
800-638-3522
Mennonite Disaster Service
717-859-2210
Nazarene Disaster Response
888-256-5886
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
800-872-3283
Salvation Army
1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769)
Southern Baptist Convention -- Disaster Relief
1-800-462-8657, ext. 6440
United Methodist Committee on Relief
1-800-554-8583
For further information: visit the website for the National Voluntary
Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) at: http://www.nvoad.org/.
More information about the KYHAM
mailing list