We donate to our local food bank. 100 % goes to the people that need it most. I like to give close to home. Our community has its share of elderly indigent folks as do so many now a days. The sad thing is that I keep seeing younger and younger folks at the food pick up...has really changed since I first started volunteering there. The line between haves and have nots is increasing at an alarming rate.

I also donate to the Clothe a Child every year. Same thing...local and 100 % goes to the kids. They all get to go shopping and get new clothes to start school. A very important thing to feel dressed nicely for that so important first day.

Wonderful thread ttodd. c

Not at home, so not recalling the exact name of one but it is a charity for veterans.

Also a local shelter and one that benefits families of police officers who are killed in the line of duty. We also donate to our local (volunteer!) fire department and the rescue squad in our county.

tina

I've been helped a couple times by the Red Cross, they sent an ambulance for me once when I was deathly ill and stranded in Mexico. They also came to our rescue when we lost our home to a flood. I'd love to say that I'm partial to them when we donate, but I'm not, with so many people in need, my only preference is to help people HERE first as opposed to abroad, selfish? maybe but.....

So this year, I wanted to donate a large screen tv that was in perfect condition. It was 55 inches and I thought it would be perfect for the local senior citizens center but when I called, I was turned away without so much as a thank you anyways. They were getting a new facility and already had funds for one. Scratch that out!

Then I tried to donate it to the local women's shelter. I was once homeless after leaving an abusive relationship so it hit home with me. I was given and called several numbers and when my messages all went unanswered I decided to just give it to whomever I could find in need on my own. Through a "friend" I located a young woman with kids in a lower income bracket. They didn't even have a tv so I knew they could put it to good use and was tickled with the way it turned out. The "friend" offered to deliver it for us because the girl lived quite far from our house. Then I later found out, that this "friend" had kept the tv for herself and passed an old one she had on to the girl with kids. I was livid.

Now, I just donate to whatever organization is happy to have what we have to give and can put it to good use. I don't mind delivering it either. Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, Fostering Agencies for animals. I see the Purple Heart trucks all the time and I'd be happy to try them as well.

Fischer House. It's a military-associated charity that provides housing for family members of injured/hospitalized military members. It allows families to stay (free of charge) close to their loved ones. It's sort of a Ronald McDonald house for the military.

As far as donating goods, there's a local thrift that supports the SPCA and an equine therapy program. I also just found a thrift in town that supports a program that helps the homeless and those with drug and alcohol problems get housing and back into the workforce.

When we lived in a different town, there were many other options, so women's clothing and accessories went to the domestic violence shelter, furniture went to Salvation Army, old towels and blankets go to the animal shelter, etc.

Smile Train.

This is the largest cleft charity in existence, called "one of the most productive charities - dollar for deed - in the world." I so greatly admire their work in giving the simple chance to make it to children who would otherwise not have that chance in their lives.

Here is a link that might be useful: Smile Train

GENaustin (Girls Empowerment Network)
Planned Parenthood
Animal Trustees of Austin
Mobile Loaves and Fishes
Heifer International
Austin Recovery

Humane Society.

The Charity Navigator is a really good site that rates charities, has information on how they spend donations, etc.

I give "stuff" to the Children's Hospital Thrift Store, building/home type stuff to Habitat for Humanity Restore, $$ to Mercy Corps, Oxfam, Planned Parenthood because I am pro-choice, a local horse riding program for disabled kids, Kidney foundation because one of my friends donated and raises funds, ISRR - International Soundex Reunion Registry for reuniting families separated by adoption- because I am the natural mother of a son lost to adoption (and reunited). Plus whatever else my friends are raising funds for.

We donate to 3 different charity groups every year in December ( not sure why that month, but it just became a habit, and easy to remember). St. Jude's was our first- started when we got married 20 years ago. We have also been donating to Guiding Eyes for the Blind for the last 12 years. This is a charity near and dear to our hearts due to our daughter.
We also donate to at least 1 other charity each year- we rotate between Toys for Tots, and the Humane Society.

Cash donations go to our local cat rescue and our local Humane Society. We also contribute annually to our local food share. Thru work I contribute to fundraising efforts for Heifer International, local food share and an annual toy drive. Every year we take names off a giving tree for childrens gifts, particularly for the older kids.

I donate time to Planned Parenthood and local watershed groups.

Goods go to the Humane Society thrift shop or Habitat Re-store. We try to keep our donations local and to organizations that operate on lean administrative budgets.

Charity Newsies. It's a local 100% charity organization which sells newspapers to provide winter clothing for children.

I donate clothing to a local organization called Working Wardrobe. They dress women in need for interviews and jobs.

My favorite charity is ChemoAngels. It is a completely volunteer organization that matches volunteers with patients undergoing chemotherapy with the volunteers supporting the patients by mailing them weekly expressions of support. The organization also has a section to support seniors. The donated funds keep their computer systems running and pay for postage to send out donated items to those in need. They run on a very small budget so even a $10 or $25 donation makes a difference. I've linked the organization below if you would like to learn more about it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chemo Angels

Thanks Pesky - I forgot that we also give to our humane society also. We donate goods to Habitat for Humanity, and occasionally Goodwill. My dad was able to donate some of my mom's things to a local woman's shelter, they so greatly appreciated it.

tina

Cookies for Kids Cancer

When my son turned one I asked that instead of gifts our guests donate to this charity. And last spring my 7 year old and her friends from her daisy troop hosted a bake sale to raise money for this cause.

It was started by a mom who's toddler was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. The Mother is a friend of my friend, and I met her and her son Liam before he was diagnosed. Liam would have been the same age as my daughter, but sadly he lost his fight against the disease this past January. He was an extraordinary child and his spirit touched my heart.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cookies

Nancybee - thanks for the heads up about Charity Navigator. There is another organization that I encountered this year that gets homeless vets off the street and then trains them for a variety of job fields. They were outside of Wal-mart this year and I grabbed their information on my lunch break but left it at work. When I gave notice at my job someone threw it away.

A few days prior I had been at another Wal-mart and encountered the organization but they'd run out of brochures. I liked the time that the older vet took to talk to my young son about his time in the service, what he did, how he fell on hard times and how the organization helped him out. DS started to tune out a bit but I was intently listening and watching him talk to my son.

My list of charities is an eclectic mix, but my favorite one is a non profit started by a good friend of mine last year. After she retired early from her teaching job in order to spend more time with her grandchildren, she started The Greater Philadelphia Area Diaper Bank. So far she has provided over 49,000 diapers to agencies in PA and NJ that she partners with, who then pass them on to mothers and adults in need. Most of these have come from organizations who have sponsored diaper drives. Huggies is having a Twelve Days of Thanks Tour now and providing 12,000,000 diapers to 12 cities over a 12 day period. My friend is getting 100,000 diapers from Huggies delivered to her house tomorrow! A local fork lift company is donating a forklift and driver's time to unload the big truck. The 7th grade class from my friend's old school will be there with others to help her sort and stack the diapers in her basement. I'm hoping that she'll get more corporate sponsorship soon so she can at least hire some part time help to pick up and distribute the diapers. I never thought of diapers in relation to poverty, but there is quite a need for them out there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Diaper Bank

One I especially like is Gospel for Asia. We have 2 "adopted" kids and 100% of the funds go for the children. They also have a Christmas catalog each year where you can purchase various goods for families in Asia. It is an eclectic mix anywhere from blankets, to chickens (money and food), sewing machines, wells, etc.

There are also local organizations that we give either money or time to.

Most charities we support have already been mentioned. One that hasn't and is dear to me is Project Lifesaver. It provides wearable tracking devices for people suffering from Alzheimer's, as well as others who may be prone to wander and unable to get back home on their own.

Wanted to mention another favorite of mine - "Adopt A Native Elder", based in Park City, Utah. This organization provides food, clothing, medicine, and supplies to Native Americans (predominantly Navajo), who still live a traditional lifestyle on remote reservation lands. At one time I had "adopted" an elderly couple and was able to visit them in their home. It was a wonderful experience that I will never forget.

Here is a link that might be useful: Adopt a Native Elder

Tish, we sponsor one child through Latin America ChildCare. In 2006, we went on a mission trip to Colombia to help build a school and first saw her then.

As we have no children, we plan on leaving whatever's left to animal organizations. Currently though, we give regularly through our church to various missions. One, rescues girls out of prostitution/slavery in Nepal. It's not all "evangelism".

There is a local mission in my dad's hometown, Wayside Cross Rescue Mission, that I like to use.

When I was a child, for some reason hobos would come to our door after hopping off the train in our little town and my dad would take them to the mission. My dad was not religious but back in the 60's that was the only place for the homeless.

When I call for a pick-up there is the sweetest man with the softest, gentlest voice I've ever heard who answers the phone with something like "God blesses you for calling our mission" and it just softens my heart.

Cash to St.Jude's Childrens Hospital. My dear friend's grandson was treated there. Brain tumor when he was 2. He's now 7, strong and healthy.

Our 'stuff' goes to the local St. Vencent dePaul Society.

Food contributions and some of my time this time of year go to Metropolitan Ministries. They feed thousands of families all year long.

I give to Kiva because they help people help themselves by providing "microloans" to help people get businesses going.

I give my "stuff" to a thrift shop that benefits a hospital where my dad was a doctor.

I make my most substantial contributions to my library. I love that place.

We donate household stuff to Goodwill, Purple Heart, Lupus Foundation (I've got RA),NCC (National Childrens Center), and Loudoun Women's Shelter. Glasses go to Lion's, and our older phone's and computers to various women/family support groups as they need them.

Cash and annual auction items go to HART (Homeless Animals Rescue Team) a group that rescues dogs and cats from high-kill shelters and disaster areas for adoption in our area (they saved our beloved Tucscon from the kill list in Abingdon so that we could adopt her) and Phoenix Landing Foundation, a parrot rescue group (many, many people buy parrots without knowing the level of effort involved in their healthy maintenance or the long lifespans of many types of parrots, so lots of those poor parrots end up in need of loving, understanding homes.)

Through Reston Interfaith, we supply Thanksgiving dinner to several families each year, and though them we also adopt several families of kids for Christmas gifts each year. Through Christmas in July, we donate building materials.

We also support the ASPCA, National Wildlife Fund (though their poor use of funds and grants annoys me), World Wildlife Fund, Sierra and participate in various fundraisers for various local organizations and medical research foundations during their annual drives.

All in all, for us it's probably split about evenly between local and national scope for the groups we try to help suppport.

Boston Foundation for Sight -- a non-profit that treats complex corneal diseases. They now operate at 11 centers around the country. Donations pay for treatment and temporary housing for patients needing this vital-but-difficult-to-obtain eye care.

Wounded Warrior Project to assist wounded veterans.

And we give through our church: food, clothing, toiletries, donations.

Ded, I really need to get back up home and meet you! We give to Kiva, too. Even though it isn't really a charity, I just roll over the money to someone new, so to me it is.

We also donate to the Vietnam Veterans since DH was an AF pilot in the war. Then there are the locals: Friends of Homeless Animals, local scholarship fund, the Anacostia Watershed Society, local charities for disabled children and adults (not local, but give to St Judes irregularly). Lots of national environmental groups, too like River Keepers, Sierra, WWF, etc.

Also a fan of Smile Train and Heifer Fund.

Ronald McDonal House. My husband and I spent 10 nights sleeping on the floor of Loma Linda Trauma Center. After my daughter was able to leaver her hospital, she and I were able to stay at a Ronald McDonald House for another 10 days to visit her baby Nathan. It was a lifesaver for us, and I think they charged $5 a day. What a difference a shower and bed can make. The entire facility was homey and they gave us the handicapped room for my daughter. Local restaurants would drop off food, volunteers made fresh cookies, and they were very kind. I often wonder who is sleeping on the hard floors now.