A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall What Charity Projects are going on in your neighborhood?

our local library has good a couple of good projects going on in our area. One is a collection point for books for kids kindergarten through 12 grade for a school in West Virginia that doesn't have a library or enough reading material for their students. I've been going through the local thrift shop books and finding all the ones that are age appropriate. the ones for middle school age children are the hardest to find. But I did score some babysitting club books. I'm loving this project.

Then they have an angel project. It's a gift giving project where disadvantaged childen can get gifts through the efforts of volunteers. Each angel on the tree has the name of one child and one item that they want for christmas. This was much harder to do because I haven't any idea what might appeal to the child. But I still think it is a wonderful idea.

What kinds of things are going on in your area?

Seasonally there are a lot of things going on like your angel tree. And our Fire Departments all over southern California collect new toys and sports equipment to pass out in each local community. We try to give something for each age group from babies through the oldest teens.
Year round we have a community center that collects and gives clothing free to all who need/ask. This is my personal favorite. All of our gently used clothing goes here and I collect from friends and neighbors. This community center also collects and passes out non-perishable food stuffs to needy year round. They are located next to a library branch so it is easy to pop in and leave canned goods and clean clothing when I go.
I prefer 'hands on' charities. I really dislike giving cash to an organization that is top heavy with paid administration. I want my efforts to go to the real need not a pay raise for someone.
When John dies we have decided in lieu of funeral flowers to ask for gift certificates from our local grocery chain to the local Cancer Society or Hospice. Or one in the areas that our friends live. We have been the recipient of these and they have helped stretch our budget that is been pounded by medicine costs.

Our Church has collected food to donate to the local seminary family's----they habve less than a shoe-strign to get by on for their years at the seminary---and while many of thier wives are school teachers--they often have very small children and that cost adds to their burdens. We make sure to donate to it.

Then the same church alsio has a tree of angels from a Lutheran school in a very poor town.---These kids will likley get only the gifts from this tree.

(this is much like what the Walmarts here do for each stores local area.

I have metioned the food/toy drive the "park association"(read JayCees wanna bes) that my brother helps at.

then of course there is the boy scouts food drive---you know, they put a bag on your door 1 week and come back the next week and pick the bag up full of non-parishables.

I am sure there are others---

I've started a charity to help retired, middle-aged, bird photographers, get the money they need for EXPENSIVE camera equipment, supplies, and computer stuff, by giving these photographers LOTS of money!!!

I'd like to have my name added to the recepients of this list please.

On a worse note, I read yesterday where Union County usually gives stockings to 3500 children but as of this week only has enough stuff to stuff 50 stockings. The stockings are stuffed with small items such as tooth paste and brushes, small mirrors, chap stick, socks, little things. Times are hard.

There are hard times all over. I have upped my donations just in my son's classroom; glue and glue sticks, markers and any other craft supplies I can think of. I take in wipes (Clorox types) and wipes (baby types) and paper plates, plastic spoons and napkins. Plus snacks. These are all high school age students here but you have to think more kindergarten.
Their budgets have been cut drastically. This is another administratively top-heavy place that tends to suck the life out of what it is intended for.

add my name to your list as well, Thorny, OK???---I could esp. use a upper grade camera----the one I have is ok for family portraits, but birds and flowers are another thing all together---
and Heaven knows I could always use more money------- :wink:

In many counties the school system is the largest employer and yet their budgets are constantly cut. Doesn't make sense to me.

me either--my DD works in a school in st. Louis----there is never enough toner so they canmnot run off work pages----there is never enough of anything---she asked for a cheap printer for christms so she could run her own work off----(not that anyone will buy the ink or such---


she even put out a SOS to all the family to ask where one could buy toner for the schools copy machine so it would be in working order more frequently.

all of this besides what a teacher has to buy at a "normal" school----

I think they have like 1, possibly 2, copier/printers for a 1500 pupil school----sheese

Yes, when John was teaching we had (still have) a big xerox machine. That was in the days before printers were in every house. He didn't like waiting for his paperwork to be printed in his high school. We bought the ink, paper and maintained the machine here. But it saved him loads of stress at work.

Because of our severe weather, our local grocery store chains collect coats for kids.

Our school nurses collect coats, boots, mittens, hats, and snowpants because our kids can't play outside without those things and not everyone can afford them.

The PTA always does an Angel Tree and these shoppers go all out, getting each child many nice items. They set aside a room in the school for wrapping so any parent who has time can stop by and help. And to help with confidentiality, the school nurse manages the distribution.

Of course the food pantries all go into overdrive trying to collect foods and useful items to do well by their local communities and most churches of every denomination help out with that as well. Many churches also make up food baskets and gift cards for charitable giving within their membership.


Merme

Merme, my school doesn't even have a PTA.

The laminator broke at the beginning of school and it's just too bad. No money to fix it.

Our PTA does fun fundraisers all year and each Christmas they gift the teachers individually with a large sum of cash that they can spend on anything special they want for their classroom. The teachers really look forward to getting the money and plan to get cool stuff.

Beyond that, there is a charity well in the main lobby of each school where the kids, parents, volunteers and other visitors drop coins all year.

And if anything extra is going on, such as Katrina, or that tsunami, they go all out and the kids are really dedicated to raising money for the cause. They typically start out by buying those little rubbery bracelets in a special color to indicate its purpose, and then they run all over town doing things for cash to give.

We are a very very small town, Sheri, with only about 8,000 year round residents but our little town does a massive job with the school budget each year; they are deeply serious about funding the schools.


We'd be lost without our PTA, though. They even provide each student a new agenda for the start of the school year to help the children stay organized. These custom printed spiral books are hugely handy.


Merme

I was shocked to say the least when I found out that this school hasn't had a PTA for at least 3 years. There's no interest from the parents. I know many schools in my area are helped financially as well as volunteer ways by the PTA. The PTA at my grands school is very active, giving the school equipment, having lunches of appreciation for the teachers, clothes and food closet stuff. It's wonderful. The parents at my school are takers for the most part and it seems the more they take the more they expect. People get sick of giving after a while. I think I've already mentioned that other schools have given us so many clothes already this year that they don't want to give anymore. When they're sent home because the student has soiled theirs in some way they are never returned.

This school has agendas for every student in the school for all year. They are supplied by the school system.

One nurse said it's like throwing money down and well. It goes on forever and the parents keep having children they can't take care of.

My husbands church used to have a missionary fund that was sent out of the country. Several years ago they stopped sending the money out and now exclusively help people in their own church. They have a clothes closet and food closet. It's regulated nicely by volunteers and works well. They have around 300-400 members. I like doing it that way. If every church was able to take care of their own it would be nice. If a member of the church knows of a local need it is usually met but not on an ongoing basis. After a while the recepient is expected to get back on their feet unless there's a disability of some sort. I like that plan too because too many families have been on welfare for decades without an improvement of work ethic.

I heard the other night that some charities are pulling away from the United Way because of the waste. That's one reason I think that helping your own local family is a good idea. It' easier to keep up with where the money is going.

Yes, I really want to know where my money or help goes. Hands-on charity stuff. United Way has had many issues in the past. As has the Amer. Red Cross. I don't want to throw good money after bad. I know they have many volunteers with true hearts and they are extremely helpful in disasters. What worries me, I guess, is how much more they could help if all of their funds went to actually helping.
You can send truckloads of food and water to starving orphans but they don't always see the stuff. But there will be some border guards or warlords somewhere dining grandly. Or profiting by selling the stuff meant for others. I don't know how to fix it all. I just do my little bits when and where I can when I know that it is helping.

my DH and I used to donate to the march of dimes every year.
The money went to the national headquarters.
---one year my DH found out there was a local chapter of the M of D and we gave to it---we felt i like you do--it is best if the moeny helps people here close to home--
well the national chapter was very upset--and said so----called us several times for donations-(to them)----the national headquartes never acknowledged our donation to the local chapter--we have since stopped donating to The March of Dimes at all.--or any other charity that is not local

I used to donate to the United Way and always was able to earmark to what place I wanted my money to go. I always sent mine to the local battered womens shelter. Then they started telling us that earmarking was not a good thing because the money was dispersed to where it was needed most. Then they started telling us that if we wished to earmark a specific spot we could only give cash and not have it taken directly out of our check through work. Then last year they said we couldn't earmark at all. I stopped giving.

I'm glad that there are so many good charities out there. I definitely agree that we need to take care of local needs first and then those farther from home. Most of our food banks can only provide one basket per year so they are definitely in need of help. I plan on enlarging the veggie garden over the years so there will be extra to send to the local food bank. That will help over the summer and fall at least.

I'm surprised that your local food bank will take fresh food. The ones that we did have won't.

we have some of each in our area. we have a homeless mission that takes all food, fresh, prepped, leftover, or otherwise. it is a drug free/alcohol free night shelter and they will even take wedding/party leftovers. so after each of the weddings, they got what was not keepable. like bags of salad makings and pans of meat. and they are grateful for it. the folks at the shelter are glad for good, clean food. and a warm piece of floor or a cot, to sleep on.

That is a great idea, Jiffy!

Maxi belongs to a club at his school that does charitable projects in the community. It is called The Builders Club.

Before Thanksgiving the kids of the club made the local TV news because they'd been able to raise 4,000 food items to divide between two pantries. That was quite a good job for a small club of middle schoolers. They also had their pictures in the paper for their efforts!



Merme

We have one person in the neighborhood who sowed a field full of salad greens and then put up a sign free salad. I guess they do it every year or so. I thought that was so great. If the food bank doesn't take fresh then I'll just make a sign and tell the store owner down the road. That's how word gets around. Pretty cool huh? I love Virginia.

Jacksonville,being as large as it is has many different charities on overtime this time of year. They have a Christmas party for children and give gifts to 10,000+ children every year. The food kitchens are struggling to survive and there was even one that was robbed.

Some members of a local group I belong to decided to help some families ourselves. We were able to get together enough food,clothing,personal items(shampoo,soap,deodorant,toothpaste,detergent,etc.) to help 30 families this year.

Thanks to my couponing I am able to regularly donate blood sugar monitors,toothpaste,toothbrushes and vitamins to the local public health clinic. So far this year I have donated 58 monitors,150 toothpastes and I can't tell you how many toothbrushes and vitamins. Most of these items I get for free or for pennies.

With the economy the way it is,there are so many more people in need this year