Giving To Charities For The Flood Victums
I think the year was 1999 and my best friend Paul and his family lost everything his family owned in 2 hurricanes that hit about 2 weeks apart.
The company where we worked at highly recommends that we donate a hour pay a month minimum. They have contest and give away prizes to people who gives 3 hours pay a month.
The charities were United Way and Red Cross.
When the flood happened i went with Paul to get things that charities were giving away. Pots, pans, beds and other things like that.
We were turned away from every charity except for churches and private companies. Even the companies that were pushed on us through work would not help him.
Every charity asked how much money him and his wife made and he was turned away. He could have lied and told him he made less but that is against his religion.
The government. National Guard did give him water and ice.
He lived in a double wide trailer that was beautiful. His trailer was financed through Greentree. If thats not the right name its close. They allowed him to miss 1 payment.
People that worked with Paul gave him what they could. I took up donations every week and work paid him while he was out.
Even the government would not give him any help for anything. When the storm came he made 11 or 12 dollars and his wife made 7 or 8 and hour.
Everybody said he made to much money for help.
After the flood allowed him to reach his house we started tearing his house apart. We threw all of his stuff away and then we cut all the carpet and matting out.
Then we cut all the sheetrock 4 feet around the whole house and removed the insulation. Then we removed all the flooring in the house along with the insulation. Oh we did treat all the wood with clorox i think that was it to kill the mold.
While we were working on the house he missed his first house payment. We were finished with everything that we could do without money to start rebuilding.
He called the finance company and asked what he could do to get money to start rebuilding his house. He asked them to give him a loan so he could rebuild the house and they said no.
He asked them to let him miss 6 payments so he could use the money to rebuild his house and they told him no. He even went down to 3 months and he was still refused.
He explained that he could not afford to make his house payment and rebuild it at the same time. They told him he could not miss any more house payments. At this time he missed 1 payment that the finance company allowed him and the next house payment that came due while tearing all the stuff apart in the house.
At this point there was nothing he could do to his house and him and his family was staying with friends. The finance company would not budge and help him in at all.
He went to a trailer company and they approved him for a loan to get a new double wide. His credit was perfect all the way to the storm.
He called his finance company that if they would not help he would walk away from the house he was paying for. He told them he was trying to do the right thing but he just needed a little help. They refused him again.
He bought a double wide and 3 acres of land and his payments were cheaper than what he was paying at the old place.
We did all that work on the house for nothing. The house has been empty since 1999. No one has bought the house in 19 years.
After the flood was gone and everyone got back to work and we started discussing the flood and stuff we figured out that not 1 person that was white got any help from anywhere except churches and private charities.
We even know for a fact that other races received help and was not even in the flood. One of the people that received help was selling household things that he got for free.
When i confronted him about how he could take things from people who really needed it he told me that it rained at his house to.
What makes this even worse is the guy is a part time preacher and deacon at his church. He told me God had blessed him.
This story was intended to help people you know in person and friends of friends. Not to give to United Way and the Red Cross.
If someone wants to take up money for Ricci count me in. I live on disability but i will kick in a few bucks.
Prayers again for you Ricci.
The company where we worked at highly recommends that we donate a hour pay a month minimum. They have contest and give away prizes to people who gives 3 hours pay a month.
The charities were United Way and Red Cross.
When the flood happened i went with Paul to get things that charities were giving away. Pots, pans, beds and other things like that.
We were turned away from every charity except for churches and private companies. Even the companies that were pushed on us through work would not help him.
Every charity asked how much money him and his wife made and he was turned away. He could have lied and told him he made less but that is against his religion.
The government. National Guard did give him water and ice.
He lived in a double wide trailer that was beautiful. His trailer was financed through Greentree. If thats not the right name its close. They allowed him to miss 1 payment.
People that worked with Paul gave him what they could. I took up donations every week and work paid him while he was out.
Even the government would not give him any help for anything. When the storm came he made 11 or 12 dollars and his wife made 7 or 8 and hour.
Everybody said he made to much money for help.
After the flood allowed him to reach his house we started tearing his house apart. We threw all of his stuff away and then we cut all the carpet and matting out.
Then we cut all the sheetrock 4 feet around the whole house and removed the insulation. Then we removed all the flooring in the house along with the insulation. Oh we did treat all the wood with clorox i think that was it to kill the mold.
While we were working on the house he missed his first house payment. We were finished with everything that we could do without money to start rebuilding.
He called the finance company and asked what he could do to get money to start rebuilding his house. He asked them to give him a loan so he could rebuild the house and they said no.
He asked them to let him miss 6 payments so he could use the money to rebuild his house and they told him no. He even went down to 3 months and he was still refused.
He explained that he could not afford to make his house payment and rebuild it at the same time. They told him he could not miss any more house payments. At this time he missed 1 payment that the finance company allowed him and the next house payment that came due while tearing all the stuff apart in the house.
At this point there was nothing he could do to his house and him and his family was staying with friends. The finance company would not budge and help him in at all.
He went to a trailer company and they approved him for a loan to get a new double wide. His credit was perfect all the way to the storm.
He called his finance company that if they would not help he would walk away from the house he was paying for. He told them he was trying to do the right thing but he just needed a little help. They refused him again.
He bought a double wide and 3 acres of land and his payments were cheaper than what he was paying at the old place.
We did all that work on the house for nothing. The house has been empty since 1999. No one has bought the house in 19 years.
After the flood was gone and everyone got back to work and we started discussing the flood and stuff we figured out that not 1 person that was white got any help from anywhere except churches and private charities.
We even know for a fact that other races received help and was not even in the flood. One of the people that received help was selling household things that he got for free.
When i confronted him about how he could take things from people who really needed it he told me that it rained at his house to.
What makes this even worse is the guy is a part time preacher and deacon at his church. He told me God had blessed him.
This story was intended to help people you know in person and friends of friends. Not to give to United Way and the Red Cross.
If someone wants to take up money for Ricci count me in. I live on disability but i will kick in a few bucks.
Prayers again for you Ricci.
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I stopped giving to the United Way when they sent a purchasing agent from one of our main customers to do their annual presentation.
We had, as a company, participated in their program for years. When she arrived to do the presentation to our employees, I told her that while I would present the information to our employees, I would not have her give the presentation because I was uncomfortable with the coercive nature of her being the presenter.
She was a professional, and understood completely. We terminated our relationship with the United Way the following year.
Giving is a personal thing, and while I give to a number of national and regional causes, the most rewarding giving that I do is the one-on-one anonymous gift that benefits a specific individual in need, or a specific local group in need. The donations are always in cash, and as stated, as anonymous as is possible.0 -
Thank you so much but please no. I am good and there will be many folks who really need help. Many houses have been completely covered with water and I?m guessing most don?t have flood insurance in this area.
I have personally always been impressed with the work of the Salvation Army.0 -
quote:Originally posted by jim_lemay
Red Cross not on my list ever. Selling water & ice to survivors of Hurricane Audrey in South Louisiana in 1957.
United Way supports Red Cross so no contributions to them either.
I only support local charities.
red cross screwed my brother when my father died, he could have taken a military flight home, but red cross have him a ticket to get home a day earlier. after he got back to base they sent him a bill for 1st class plane ticket, they had given him coach!, they had never mentioned any type reimbursment of ticket, if they had he would have taken the military flight next day. they ended up attaching his military pay to get ticket money back.....[xx(][:(!][B)][B)]0 -
quote:Originally posted by select-fire
You folks quit bitching who is better or worse than others. Just give to the favorite one.
why? so some one behind a desk gets his cut???? you do as you like, I will continue to tell everyone I meet not to
I wouldn't give to any charity, I would much rather give money to the individual, no one else gets a cut of it, and I know they personally get it0 -
Salvation Army does a lot of good! 0 -
Salvation Army does a lot of good! 0 -
+1 with Salvation Army a good org... 0 -
Salvation Army.+1 0 -
Our Small Lions Club Just sent a Check for $ 450.00 to be used by Local Clubs in NC for flood relief. Not much from our Club but with over 1,200 US clubs helping out, it will be substantial.
My small Lions Club (12 members) raised over $18,000. It we directly back in to the community. Mostly for folks that could not afford Christmas (toys and food).
We support the local food pantry, and help those with housing after fires.
We helped over 16 folks to get glasses and helped 2 people that needed eye surgery.
We don't take any thing for ourselves. Just using our time and limited talents we have.
Lion Club International is the Largest service organization in the world in 242 Country with over 1,400,000 members.
Check them out, find a local Club meeting and stop by (bet there is one in a town near you).0 -
I don?t recall hearing any bad reports on The Salvation Army.
One of my favorite charities, not an emergency relief organization, but still a good charity in my opinion is St. Jude Children?s Hospital.
A while back I gave a walk behind weed eater to a local Church. They got to use it for about three months before somebody broke the lock on their utility shed and took it and everything else of value.
Like everything else in today?s world it?s hard to find a ?safe? charity. All I can suggest is just give what you want to give to whoever you want to give it to and hope for the best.0 -
A good friend of mine (Rest his soul) was in the North
African campaign. The Red Cross was no friend to the soldiers.0 -
quote:Originally posted by rong
A good friend of mine (Rest his soul) was in the North
African campaign. The Red Cross was no friend to the soldiers.
One of my uncles was on USS Wasp (CV-7) when she was sunk during the invasion of Guadalcanal on 9 SEP 1942. He was fished out of the drink by USS Laffey (DD-459). When he disembarked USS Laffey he was met at the foot of the brow by the Red Cross. They gave him one blanket, one doughnut and one cup of coffee. He said he thought the Red Cross was the best group of people he?d ever met.
After the Japanese unconditional surrender in 1945 he got a bill from the Red Cross for one blanket, one doughnut and one cup of coffee. After that he hated the Red Cross with a purple passion. He died owing the Red Cross for one blanket, one doughnut and one cup of coffee.0 -
Before I get to any charity I check out how much actually goes for the cause, and how much actually goes to administration fee...
United Way is 95% Administration these are 5% actually goes to the cause. Red Cross is not much better.
if you live in an area that there probably will be a flood, flood insurance is your friend. But you live in a flood area, flood insurance is cost prohibited0 -
After Guadalcanal my father, a young marine....had a Red Cross worker came up to his hospital bed and told him he should write his mother and let her know he was okay...she proceeded to hand him an envelope and three sheets of paper..she wanted three cents for the envelope and a penny a piece for the paper...he told her to shove it.
He told me that the Red Cross also charged the marines for smokes that the Salvation Army gave away..
A service buddy's father died while we were overseas...the Red Cross was going to give him a high interest loan for a plane ticket....his buddies pooled their money and bought his ticket.
The Salvation Army was always good to the troops...from the moment I got on the bus to go to basic training, they gave each of us a bag with a toothbrush..razor, and such..
Red Cross and United Way blows.....I give to the Salvation Army...especially Christmas time......and I'm a Catholic!!![:D]0 -
The only good thing I can say about United Way and Red Cross is that they aren?t as greedy as the Klinton Fundation.
Take a look at how much the UW and RC executives are paid vs the salary of the Salvation Army CEO.
I only donate to Disabled Vets, Salvation Army and my Elks Club. I?m an Elks member and can see the money donated actually goes to charity.0 -
quote:Originally posted by remingtonoaks
Before I get to any charity I check out how much actually goes for the cause, and how much actually goes to administration fee...
United Way is 95% Administration these are 5% actually goes to the cause. Red Cross is not much better.
if you live in an area that there probably will be a flood, flood insurance is your friend. But you live in a flood area, flood insurance is cost prohibited
Exactly. The red cross and United way, are the ones that benefit from your contributions, not the victims
.0 -
I have an uncle named Sam that does all my charity work for me. He just takes what he wants of my money & doles it out as he sees fit. 0 -
I worked at a Major Defense contractor for 34 yrs
and they expected their employees to donate to the
United way.I did for a few years then cancelled .0 -
i saw a list of 17 charities the ceo's made well over a million a year and the former "BOY scouts of america" boss got right at a million..i will NOT donate to ANY of these..only ones with token salaries or volunteer management....seems the biggest charity i HAVE to participate in is govt taxes..or they will take that amount and the rest of everything if you don't smile and give 0 -
Cut out the middleman and the inevitable skimming. Instead, give to your local charity or directly to someone/family in need - and I don't mean the guy on the street corner. Disasters far away are a good reminder to donate...locally. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by remingtonoaks
Before I get to any charity I check out how much actually goes for the cause, and how much actually goes to administration fee...
United Way is 95% Administration these are 5% actually goes to the cause. Red Cross is not much better.
if you live in an area that there probably will be a flood, flood insurance is your friend. But you live in a flood area, flood insurance is cost prohibited
While I do not like the United Way, your numbers are dead wrong.0 -
quote:Originally posted by scooterdriver
Cut out the middleman and the inevitable skimming. Instead, give to your local charity or directly to someone/family in need - and I don't mean the guy on the street corner. Disasters far away are a good reminder to donate...locally.
This! ^^^^^^
I keep my charitable giving very close to home.0 -
I never new much about the Shriner's other than the parade and the scooters and cycles and mini / micro cars...
Until the cancer arrived.
I see what they do for the children on the pediatric oncology ward and it's simply awe inspiring
Shriner's hospital is miracle and a gift from god
Mike0 -
There is a guy here who is a fishmonger. He sets up Fri-Sat and sells fresh fish he gets in Topsail Island by Wilmington.
He used to have a seafood place there but quit the business 8 years ago and now just sells fish.
He has a big truck and trailer and he is going down to the Wilmington area. He has an email list and emailed all of us he wanted to take food and what not down with him.
I went and got a few cases of Peanut butter, Beans, Beef stew, soup, SPAM and Vienna sausages, and took it to him. His truck was full and the trailer was almost 3/4 full.
I don't know how he is going to get there cause the roads are still flooded but he said he knows a route.
That is the kind of Charity I like to give; Food or my time but not money.0
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