Do you give?

[SeaCat]

Do you give or donate time to those less fortunate than you? If so why?

I do, every year and several times a year. In my back room is a rather large deep freeze. Every payday I grab something extra. A chicken or a Turkey. Ham and Hamburger. Frozen Veggies are used to fill those small spaces.

When the freezer is full I load everything into a bunch of coolers and bring it to a Homeless Shelter being run by Benedictine Monks. They are always happy to receive this. (My wife and I have both volunteered in their kitchen on more than one occasion.) We drop off the food several times a year.

Why do I do this? Maybe it's because I too have been there. My wife and I lived in a tent for several months not too long ago. We worried about getting anything to eat. (Ever eat can soup?) This shelter though is important to me, it is the only one I give to. It does something different. Even though it is run by monks it doesn't proseletize(sp). It doesn't look down on the people who use it. Instead it tries to help those people get back on their feet, something that would have been helpful when I was in their shoes.

So do you give? Why?

Cat

 

[_Lynn_]

When my kids were younger we needed help. It wasn't easy for me to ask for it, but for their sake I did. I vowed to give back some day when I could afford it.

I began collecting toys, from sales, clearance, etc. Each year I dropped them off at Toys for Tots. Then I spent the days helping with the toy give-away. My kids always knew why we did this and helped choose things for other children.

I can't now. Maybe again some day.

You swallow your pride for your children and hope someday you can give back. It's inside me, always, to give back.

 

[sr71plt]

Out the nose. Deepseated guilt.

 

[starrkers]

When my kids were younger we needed help. It wasn't easy for me to ask for it, but for their sake I did. I vowed to give back some day when I could afford it.

I began collecting toys, from sales, clearance, etc. Each year I dropped them off at Toys for Tots. Then I spent the days helping with the toy give-away. My kids always knew why we did this and helped choose things for other children.

I can't now. Maybe again some day.

You swallow your pride for your children and hope someday you can give back. It's inside me, always, to give back.

Ditto.

Only I haven't yet got to the "give back on a regular basis" stage. Two years ago I had two good sized boxes of food and christmas crackers and stuff for the charity hampers. Last year it was a small box. This year, it won't be a lot either, but it will be SOME.

 

[slyc_willie]

Out the nose. Deepseated guilt.

Catholic?

I might be one of those who doesn't give as much as they'd like, but I do. Certain charities every year receive a donation from me around Christmas. I also make it a point to slip a couple of bucks into a Salvation Army bucket every time I pass one.

A few years back, I used to see one particular homeless man hanging around a bus bench in a not-so-nice part of town. He was the real deal, from what I could observe. As the weather turned colder, I went to a Goodwill and purchased a jacket, gloves, and a scarf, and made a pass through Whataburger. I gave it all to him, and he just looked at me, incredulous.

Never saw him at the bench again. Maybe something good happened to him, maybe something bad. I'll probably never know. But it was worth the gesture of trying to find out.

 

[sr71plt]

Catholic?

No (although I considered adding the "like a Catholic" clause). Lots of inherited wealth I didn't work for. (But then there's some wealth I did work for--I don't part with the interest on that. )

 

[slyc_willie]

No (although I considered adding the "like a Catholic" clause). Lots of inherited wealth I didn't work for. (But then there's some wealth I did work for--I don't part with the interest on that. )

Wealth, I think, is one of those things that would make me feel guilty for having, unless it took a long time to earn and I went through hoops for it.

I hope, if I ever do get to that point (not that I'm really trying; money scares me), I won't forget where I came from.

 

[sr71plt]

I've started a new regime. For years I'd been answering any telephone solicitation with a "I don't respond to telephone solicitation." (This is particularly irritating to me, because I've lived much of my life outside the United States, where they don't engage in telephone solicitation). Now, though, I'm answering with "Not only do I not respond to telephone solication, but I do give to the charity you are solicitating me for, and if you ever call me again, I'll stop doing that." So far, it hasn't taken--and I've uniformily cut them off and moved what I was giving to them to some other charity.

 

[sr71plt]

Wealth, I think, is one of those things that would make me feel guilty for having, unless it took a long time to earn and I went through hoops for it.

I hope, if I ever do get to that point (not that I'm really trying; money scares me), I won't forget where I came from.

I don't handle my own finances. And I get the double whammy. I agonize over who to give what to and then have my financial manager coming back with a "tsk, tsk, are you sure?"

 

[TE999]

I contribute money to charities I've vetted and determined that most of what they collect goes to those truly in need.

Many of the 'big money charities' spend $0.75 out of every $1.00 on publicity, fancy offices and begging for more money.

 

[slyc_willie]

I don't handle my own finances. And I get the double whammy. I agonize over who to give what to and then have my financial manager coming back with a "tsk, tsk, are you sure?"

I went through that when I was married. My wife had come from a wealthy family, and I was given a pretty good share of it after the wedding. It was daunting. Hell, it scared the shit out of me. Jack, my wife's father, set me up with his accountant, and the first thing I told him was, "Put us on a budget." The idea of being responsible for any large amount of money is one of the few things that could keep me awake at night.

 

[Guest]

I give time.

 

[Safe_Bet]

I contribute money to charities I've vetted and determined that most of what they collect goes to those truly in need.

Many of the 'big money charities' spend $0.75 out of every $1.00 on publicity, fancy offices and begging for more money.

I give time.

We try to do both time and money.

A lot of our friends are in or were in the military (don't ask, don't tell my ass) so a lot of our attention goes there. Both Amy and I volunteer at the VA Hospital down the hill from us and we donate money to the Folds of Honor Foundation (90% goes towards the scholarships).

We also donate to the Creating Organ Donation Awareness (CODA) [100% goes towards the awareness programs]

 

[JagFarlane]

I do a monthly allotment from my paycheck to Hunters Helping the Hungry, which is a donor group that has butchers that will take donated game animals, butcher them, and give them to homeless shelters. I also generally donate food to the food bank around Thanksgiving time, and usually drop in a toy or two to Toys for Tots. Its just ingrained into me to help out those less fortunate.

I've also, in the past few years, volunteered my time as Search and Rescue, Habitat for Humanity, Keepers of the Wild, and at Goose Creek High School assisting with football games.

 

[Chantilyvamp]

I do give every year and in many ways, sometimes its for breast cancer charity (jumping out of planes etc), sometimes its just money or a gift to lift the spirits. Why? Because I don't want anymore of my friends sick or having died by that damn disease. Because people helped when I needed it and its nice to give back. Lastly I'm just selfish like that and seeing or hearing them smile makes me smile.

I don't do a lot of volunteer work anymore though I am thinking about starting again.

 

[Boota]

My band plays a lot of charity benefits. Mostly for breast cancer, but for other good causes as well. My singer's first wife died of breast cancer in her mid-20's, so it's a big issue for him. We're getting ready to do a benefit show for a fellow musician who died four years ago and the family hasn't been able to get him a headstone.

We don't have a lot of money, but our time has been able to generate a lot of money.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

Only old clothing so far. I don't like to waste anything, but I can't donate extra food from the diner from large portions, so I donate old clothing that is still wearable.

 

[cloudy]

I give.

eta: I do it because I'm very fortunate in that I don't worry too much about my bills getting paid or having enough to eat, and there are those that do.

 

[jeninflorida]

we give, we support two children outside of America...and when at publix we purchase at least one brown bags (not sure what is in it). we know that we are very lucky/blessed and feel that we should help. through different churches we try to find out who is having challenges and buy xmass gifts for those families, my hubby is a sap on this one he can't imagine any child not opening up a xmass gift and the pain that a parent must suffer not being able to have gifts.


why do we give? hard question, in the end if it was one of my family members i hope that someone would help out...

Do you give or donate time to those less fortunate than you? If so why?

I do, every year and several times a year. In my back room is a rather large deep freeze. Every payday I grab something extra. A chicken or a Turkey. Ham and Hamburger. Frozen Veggies are used to fill those small spaces.

When the freezer is full I load everything into a bunch of coolers and bring it to a Homeless Shelter being run by Benedictine Monks. They are always happy to receive this. (My wife and I have both volunteered in their kitchen on more than one occasion.) We drop off the food several times a year.

Why do I do this? Maybe it's because I too have been there. My wife and I lived in a tent for several months not too long ago. We worried about getting anything to eat. (Ever eat can soup?) This shelter though is important to me, it is the only one I give to. It does something different. Even though it is run by monks it doesn't proseletize(sp). It doesn't look down on the people who use it. Instead it tries to help those people get back on their feet, something that would have been helpful when I was in their shoes.

So do you give? Why?

Cat

 

[john-the-author]

I donate money to a number of different things. We also donate food to food drives--this month, for example, the mailman will pick up food you leave out by the mailbox and take it in for distribution.

I get phone calls from a number of organizations I donate to, but I have them send me forms by mail: I don't donate by phone.

 

[DesertPirate]

I give some money and a lot of time. Mentally handicapped and Special Olympics are the main causes.
The smiles and thanks from the group my Church fed Supper to during the State Special Olympics last month was the best you could want.

 

[LadyFawn]

I work in a smallish rural hospital and we do our giving all year to the individuals who we see in need every day.

We had a man come in to the ER who was having a severe MI and his wife came from home she had no shoes and no coat and at the time it was storming. Her husband was being transferred on to the medical center and I gave her my coat and one of the other nurses took off her shoes since she was the same size and gave them to her .The other nurse worked the rest of her shift in boot covers and socks.

Another case, a young mother with 2 small children were in a motor vehicle accident and came to the ER, the mother was critical but the children were fine.
She had no family to call and her husband was in the military and was out of the country.

One of the nurses older parents had previously been approved for foster parents so they took the children that night and kept them for months until the mother was able to care for them.

This giving and sharing happens on a regular basis here and I think it is because people here in the mountains genuinely care for one another for the most part.

 

[Liar]

Something makes me slightly uncomfortale about replying to this thread. Must be my Lutheran upbringing, or I dunno...

 

[tickledkitty]

Something makes me slightly uncomfortale about replying to this thread. Must be my Lutheran upbringing, or I dunno...

Same here, minus the Lutheran upbringing.