September 04, 2005

• Red Cross is already feeding people in rural Louisiana and Mississippi. They also need blood, if you are elegible. Habitat for Humanity probably needs to get property first. People keep sending gifts in kind - I have no idea why. It takes more money for you to go buy diapers and food, and then to ship it, than to send cash. And it's less useful to the Red Cross. They know where to get the stuff - they just need the money to do it. The exception is blood - that they need in kind, what with the Transilvanian blood monopoly keeping world prices high.
• what with the Transilvanian blood monopoly keeping world prices high. Bwah! On topic: MeFi's Matt Haughey pointed to this charity, if you're interested.
• I like their ideas - but can anyone's need after this disaster be modest?
• Another site that has been fantastically informative from all angles, including listing a wonderful array of charities to consider is a small victory. Excellent reading, besides.
• Modest Needs is great, Melinika pointed me to it (unfortunately I'd already donated to the Red Cross, grumble grumble). jb, for the hurricane they're specifically dealing with people who took in refugees - family members, friends, etc. - but already live on at the limit of their capabilities. So those are the people receiving the grants. It might be a modest need for some - just enough to buy groceries for the extra people, or air beds, or new clothes - but that little bit of money will make a world of difference to people. So go: the hurricane site for Modest Needs. I think it's a wonderfully humanitarian thing to do, and also deals with what's a fairly "invisible" burden coming out of the hurricane. /pimpin'
• As I posted in a couple of other threads, if you live in an area that's trying to absorb refugees, it might be worthwhile to donate school supplies to local schools. My mom's doing this (she's in TX), and the school there said they particularly need backpacks and pencil bags. (Sorry to be so repetitive, monkeys, it just seemed like this need might be overlooked.)
• Habitat probably won't do much directly with this up front. Long term, maybe. Right now, the Red Cross and Salvation Army are both good bets. And yes, if you live in the States and are eligible, go give blood right fucking now.
• Thanks livii - that makes more sense. I was trying to figure out which evacuees would have small(er) problems (aside from those for whom money isn't really an issue at all), but I can see where Modest Needs could do a lot to help people who had taken people in, and who would otherwise be overlooked by the larger relief organisations. mct - I haven't actually heard anything about blood donation centres, and I'm on a major university campus. There are so many potential donors here (actually, not me, since I like hanging out in Britain, and I wish I could donate, but they won't let me - but other people who travel less).
• Given what I could to Modest Needs. Since I'm in the UK, I don't think my blood will be accepted? I did drop by a blood donation centre yesterday morning, but there was no mention of NO, and they weren't accepting donations on Saturday.
• People have mixed feelings about the Salvation Army, I know, but they've been there since the very beginning as well. They don't get the press that the Red Cross does (by design), but they're there in force. (disclosure...My fiance is a SA Disaster Services volunteer, and he is headed south this morning from MN.)
• I was interested in Habitat for Humanity based on an interview I saw. It seems they are doing a lot up front *now* including pre-constructing some homes. I haven't checked out their website yet, but it did sound like a good plan on the surface. Probably worth a deeper look at. Thanks for the link to Modest Needs livii.
• Well, okay, I am the absolute Bad Santa about the Red Cross....at least as far as blood donations go. They centrifuge the blood and sell the plasma to for-profit companies and reap the benefits. Also, their "Quality Control" is among the worst of the industry. It's their good name that keeps it afloat. I may be fired for what I just wrote, but it's public record. And until they comply with all federal regulations, I will protest. They're good, but they are not as good as they represent... I do, however, understand, that they are the easiest and most global of organizations to which people donate when disaster occurs.
• The Red Cross is doing a great job, don't get me wrong. But I've personally been donating money to the Northwest Louisiana Food Bank. They're small, they're local, they're an organization dedicated entirely to getting food to those that need it.
• Thanks for that link mechagrue! And likewise, thanks for the comment on Red Cross Kamikaze - it was more in-tune with what I was looking to get from this Curious George post.
• KamikazeGopher - then where should people donate blood? I had no idea they would sell it - that's just so wrong. In Canada, the Canadian Red Cross had problems (they hope the reorganisation into the Canadian Blood service has helped), but did/do they sell blood products too? I thought I was donating to people who needed blood, not to be sold to a for profit company.
• Lots of locations have local blood banks that are unconnected to the Red Cross. Just do a google on your town's or region's name and "blood bank" or "blood donation."
• Will the local blood banks take British tainted blood? I've got 6 months of Britain in me (soon to be a year), so AmRed Cross and Canadian Blood Service both won't let me donate. Of course, I can always donate in Britain.