Yes, I give to the salvation army because I know people who they have helped immediately when needed.
I also paid way too much money in taxes so my government can keep sending money to other countries that hate our guts. My bad..I couldn't resist. I find it difficult to ignore the fact that my country gives money to them and forces me to do it against my will. I also find it difficult to see able bodied people in this country receiving benefits they don't need. Look on any Craigslist jobs listing and you'll see notices for jobs of every flavor. I do not care if someone has to work 3 jobs @ minimum wage..get your a** to work and stop being a leech.
I'm grumpy this morning and had to vent. I just see it way too often in my own community and I find it offensive when I'm told I need to give MORE. At work I'm hounded to have money taken out of my pay for the United Way drive. They really pi** me off when I tell them I give to a different charity and they say things like "well give to this one, too!" I tend to help out people I know directly who actually are doing the right thing but are barely getting by.
Anyway, rant over, I do give to charity and I don't write it off against my taxes.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Festivus for the Rest of us.
We have some very dedicated people in Genesee County who at great sacrifice make local charities possible. The greatest gift we can give them on top of a holiday blessing is to continue those gifts throughout the year. Charitable giving increases during the holidays as people feel spirit of generosity. Unfortunately, as the season wanes, so goes the giving. Consider committing to year 'round giving this year as many charities need it the most when they are getting the least amount of exposure.
And remember, money is not the only gift you can give, often your time and efforts are as valuable or more than a financial contribution.
As a rule, I don't give to charities. I know too many people that abuse the privilege of being helped by local charities. They abuse the system whenever they can. The put on a show in public, and behind the scenes they are totally different. One in particular is disabled, just had a new house built, owns two new vehicles, and spends alot of time at the casino. I can see it, why can't the authorities.
Charity begins at home. Any money that leaves this house, goes to either The Vietnam Memorial Fund (to maintain The Vietnam Memorial in Washington D. C., and to help build the new educational center at The Wall). Or, The Drag Racing Organization of Women, they give financial help to families of injured racers in the U. S. and Canada.
All donations are given in memory of friends that I have lost in 'Nam and in racing.
Let me lend my voice to this discussion if I may. I can respect both ends of the spectrum here, both the giving and the not giving and their reasons. Due to fire and a divorce I have had to twice start over from scratch, in the process have had almost everything lost but the clothes on my back and a few important documents. Syracuse, and Ithaca. I used to say I would not ever donate to the Salvation Army after my experience with them in Syracuse. The whole character of their assistance was geared towards filling their church and stringing you along to keep you dependant on them. This was reinforced by my need when I didnt need them anymore...to volunteer after my work and home re-stabilized. In Syracuse however I found myself disgusted with the greed and abuse of the system by the 'workers' there. Donations came in by the truck and money was sent in as well, so many workers, not volunteers would skim the good stuff off of these donations, or go to lunch using cash donations saying it was a business lunch etc. The crap and really worn stuff was then put in the 2nd hand stores and overpriced. At that point I left that organization and went to the Rescuse Mission to volunteer and found no better, the abuses were even worse there.
In Ithaca I had found myself in a situation where I again lost much to a fire, luckily my job did provide me with shelter as I was managing apartments there and we had vacancies. But again here I found a little less corruption but it was still there. Every summer I would go over the clothes and stuff abandoned by students in their rush to move out and move on. Some good stuff left behind as they were well to do students from cornell. I was incredulous to find the salvation army and catholic charities refusing to take anything.... I eventually found by going to social security, the veterans admin and social services where the poor and homless went to for help in Ithaca and donated either the goods left behind or money from my own garage sale at the end of summer turnovers to local churches, who had picked up the ball from the 'charity' organizations.
Now here today God felt He needed to get my attentions again, I was employed doing well but my diabetes struck me from left field, while having good employment (just went into a better paying job a week before that would have very good benifits kicking in in 2 months) I had my leg swell up with cellulitis, went straight from the end of my second week on the job to emergency, turns out I had an infection that went to gangrene and ended up in the hospital, fighting to keep my toe and foot, lost my job (medical termination), nearly lost my apartment and after 3 weeks of hospitalization treatment found myself home with the inability to work. Here in Batavia I reached out to Social services and Salvation Army, and found the complete opposite of what I found to be the case elsewhere.
The lesson I have come to take away from this is twofold, 1 is that there will always be abusers of the system, however they get their greatest strength from our seeing them but apithetically doing nothing, accepting it for "the way things are"
Doug, you have obviously seen this as well based on your post, and grumpy isnt what you should be, you should be angry. Your way of dealing with it is commendable. If we all went about it that way helping out those we see that arent bilking the system, anonymously or not then true charity is being done.
Jeff's message is good too, the giving in this season is a start, but why not enjoy the good feeling all year of helping those who are struggling, the only way to truly make the changes this world desparatly needs is to do this. We that see the abuses can do something about it by helping those who need and value the help, vs those who take and just consume til there is no more. Do it on your own, through your church or your family but it's really what should be done. If the Govt collapses and disaster strikes.... all we truly have to depend on is each other.
Richard you violate your own rule of no giving to charities by selectively choosing ones that you feel do the "right" thing. But I ask that you, and encourage your friends that are of the same mindset, report those you see abusing the system to the system, whatever it might be... They are so short staffed and overwhelmed that when we do this it gives them the ability to start, chances are they might have suspicions already on who they feel should be scrutimized, but without reports from people like us cant really begin to investigate because of the way our beauracracy works. We have little enough power in these services that they provide except our taxes and our voices. So why not use them instead of grumping and grousing.
I am frustrated this holiday season by my circumstance, but after witnessing the phenomena of layaway santas, finding out that there is a net with local social services, as well as decent people that havent been jaded by their system working there, and having someone who chose to be anonymous to me leave me some help, and myself giving to a few neighborly aquaintences some of what I couldn't use myself while stuck on my rear end chomping at the bit to go back to work. I have the cliche Hope that you get when you are knocked down and thinking to yourself how you may not get back up, then finding two helping hands grabbing yours to get you back on your feet.
Merry Christmas everyone.... Remember too that help isnt always as tangible as money or posessions, sometimes it as ethereal as listening to a voice crying in the darkness or just a sympathetic pat on the back.
Yes, I give to the salvation
Yes, I give to the salvation army because I know people who they have helped immediately when needed.
I also paid way too much money in taxes so my government can keep sending money to other countries that hate our guts. My bad..I couldn't resist. I find it difficult to ignore the fact that my country gives money to them and forces me to do it against my will. I also find it difficult to see able bodied people in this country receiving benefits they don't need. Look on any Craigslist jobs listing and you'll see notices for jobs of every flavor. I do not care if someone has to work 3 jobs @ minimum wage..get your a** to work and stop being a leech.
I'm grumpy this morning and had to vent. I just see it way too often in my own community and I find it offensive when I'm told I need to give MORE. At work I'm hounded to have money taken out of my pay for the United Way drive. They really pi** me off when I tell them I give to a different charity and they say things like "well give to this one, too!" I tend to help out people I know directly who actually are doing the right thing but are barely getting by.
Anyway, rant over, I do give to charity and I don't write it off against my taxes.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Festivus for the Rest of us.
We have some very dedicated
We have some very dedicated people in Genesee County who at great sacrifice make local charities possible. The greatest gift we can give them on top of a holiday blessing is to continue those gifts throughout the year. Charitable giving increases during the holidays as people feel spirit of generosity. Unfortunately, as the season wanes, so goes the giving. Consider committing to year 'round giving this year as many charities need it the most when they are getting the least amount of exposure.
And remember, money is not the only gift you can give, often your time and efforts are as valuable or more than a financial contribution.
As a rule, I don't give to
As a rule, I don't give to charities. I know too many people that abuse the privilege of being helped by local charities. They abuse the system whenever they can. The put on a show in public, and behind the scenes they are totally different. One in particular is disabled, just had a new house built, owns two new vehicles, and spends alot of time at the casino. I can see it, why can't the authorities.
Charity begins at home. Any money that leaves this house, goes to either The Vietnam Memorial Fund (to maintain The Vietnam Memorial in Washington D. C., and to help build the new educational center at The Wall). Or, The Drag Racing Organization of Women, they give financial help to families of injured racers in the U. S. and Canada.
All donations are given in memory of friends that I have lost in 'Nam and in racing.
Let me lend my voice to this
Let me lend my voice to this discussion if I may. I can respect both ends of the spectrum here, both the giving and the not giving and their reasons. Due to fire and a divorce I have had to twice start over from scratch, in the process have had almost everything lost but the clothes on my back and a few important documents. Syracuse, and Ithaca. I used to say I would not ever donate to the Salvation Army after my experience with them in Syracuse. The whole character of their assistance was geared towards filling their church and stringing you along to keep you dependant on them. This was reinforced by my need when I didnt need them anymore...to volunteer after my work and home re-stabilized. In Syracuse however I found myself disgusted with the greed and abuse of the system by the 'workers' there. Donations came in by the truck and money was sent in as well, so many workers, not volunteers would skim the good stuff off of these donations, or go to lunch using cash donations saying it was a business lunch etc. The crap and really worn stuff was then put in the 2nd hand stores and overpriced. At that point I left that organization and went to the Rescuse Mission to volunteer and found no better, the abuses were even worse there.
In Ithaca I had found myself in a situation where I again lost much to a fire, luckily my job did provide me with shelter as I was managing apartments there and we had vacancies. But again here I found a little less corruption but it was still there. Every summer I would go over the clothes and stuff abandoned by students in their rush to move out and move on. Some good stuff left behind as they were well to do students from cornell. I was incredulous to find the salvation army and catholic charities refusing to take anything.... I eventually found by going to social security, the veterans admin and social services where the poor and homless went to for help in Ithaca and donated either the goods left behind or money from my own garage sale at the end of summer turnovers to local churches, who had picked up the ball from the 'charity' organizations.
Now here today God felt He needed to get my attentions again, I was employed doing well but my diabetes struck me from left field, while having good employment (just went into a better paying job a week before that would have very good benifits kicking in in 2 months) I had my leg swell up with cellulitis, went straight from the end of my second week on the job to emergency, turns out I had an infection that went to gangrene and ended up in the hospital, fighting to keep my toe and foot, lost my job (medical termination), nearly lost my apartment and after 3 weeks of hospitalization treatment found myself home with the inability to work. Here in Batavia I reached out to Social services and Salvation Army, and found the complete opposite of what I found to be the case elsewhere.
The lesson I have come to take away from this is twofold, 1 is that there will always be abusers of the system, however they get their greatest strength from our seeing them but apithetically doing nothing, accepting it for "the way things are"
Doug, you have obviously seen this as well based on your post, and grumpy isnt what you should be, you should be angry. Your way of dealing with it is commendable. If we all went about it that way helping out those we see that arent bilking the system, anonymously or not then true charity is being done.
Jeff's message is good too, the giving in this season is a start, but why not enjoy the good feeling all year of helping those who are struggling, the only way to truly make the changes this world desparatly needs is to do this. We that see the abuses can do something about it by helping those who need and value the help, vs those who take and just consume til there is no more. Do it on your own, through your church or your family but it's really what should be done. If the Govt collapses and disaster strikes.... all we truly have to depend on is each other.
Richard you violate your own rule of no giving to charities by selectively choosing ones that you feel do the "right" thing. But I ask that you, and encourage your friends that are of the same mindset, report those you see abusing the system to the system, whatever it might be... They are so short staffed and overwhelmed that when we do this it gives them the ability to start, chances are they might have suspicions already on who they feel should be scrutimized, but without reports from people like us cant really begin to investigate because of the way our beauracracy works. We have little enough power in these services that they provide except our taxes and our voices. So why not use them instead of grumping and grousing.
I am frustrated this holiday season by my circumstance, but after witnessing the phenomena of layaway santas, finding out that there is a net with local social services, as well as decent people that havent been jaded by their system working there, and having someone who chose to be anonymous to me leave me some help, and myself giving to a few neighborly aquaintences some of what I couldn't use myself while stuck on my rear end chomping at the bit to go back to work. I have the cliche Hope that you get when you are knocked down and thinking to yourself how you may not get back up, then finding two helping hands grabbing yours to get you back on your feet.
Merry Christmas everyone.... Remember too that help isnt always as tangible as money or posessions, sometimes it as ethereal as listening to a voice crying in the darkness or just a sympathetic pat on the back.
Have a good New Year as well...
Excellent post Kyle, Merry
Excellent post Kyle, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year