I don't know about you all but I don't have the kind of money to buy a kid a play station 5. I'd actually love to have one for myself but it cost a lot and I have other things that need to be paid for. Some feel and now I do that the Salvation Army needs to put a cap on what the kids ask for. I could afford a Barbie doll, train set, or a teddy bear but a play station 5 is out of the question.
I also wonder if the kid is asking for that or if it's really the parents?
When you don’t value anything, nothing is the same as everything.
I stopped donating to Salvation Army when they went lib. Now I only donate to animal charities. The pups will appreciate any toy they’re given..
There are two sets of issues. One is people complaining that the donations were the wrong size, or things that the kids didn’t ask for. Its OK to be disappointed about that. But then there were the ones where the parents were disappointed that the kids didn’t get expensive gifts. That is ridiculous.
A person who works for a garbage company in my community said he saw several unwrapped gift boxes in the trash after Christmas.
It was in a location where agencies give Christmas presents to those in need.
I only donate something “in person”. And for those beggars at the traffic lights, I hand them a “help wanted” ad. Since I know where they will be each day, if my driving is going by one of those stops, I clip the ads out and take them with me. Maybe one out of 10 keeps the piece of paper. Half of them flip me off even though they are real jobs. I refuse to help people who won’t help themselves.
FIRST WORLD PROBLEM
These People Are Not Grateful!
They never had a lesson of doing without a lot of things greed infested.
My wife and I give to Toys for Tots, typically its Legos, the yellow brick tub full of generic build bricks. Reasoning: Its contained with its own container, it helps with their creativity,and Its NOT a video game. I guess its bound to happen (ingratitude), and we are of the view that its what would have made our Christmas as kids.
side note: our kids love LEGO and are now branching into models, my daughter got a “snap tite” model of the Titanic. She’s 12 and wants more. My son (14) is wanting a 3d printer to mod his nerf guns. Its a planned birthday present.
It’s a shame when the ungrateful make it harder for a charity to get gifts for the grateful.
Chicago Cops have reported for many years that the “Toys for Tots” are sold by the boyfriends the day after Christmas.
A lot of the good that Christians and good people do is for the parts of a society that has a large percentage of dysfunctional people and people with problems that are part of their nature, a lot of giving and helping the people who need that help means you often have to just do what you do, and do it because you want to do it, not because you are looking for recognition or praise.
Just live for the hope that in the long run some positive good will come from it, something that you will rarely get to see yourself but which is part of the little ripples into the future that Christians try make during their lives.
Worked with a lot of poor folks in healthcare and church organizations
church had a non food pantry . Was wiped out by the impoverished ???? taking stock to resell or just throw out
Saw that the psych patients in hospitals were not grateful at all for all the things the staff did for them particularly at the holidays. Like knit hats and shop for gifts.
These people have been given so much that they are nothing but entitled.
So I stopped.
I usually read their wish list on the tag and if they ask for insane things I don’t take it.
I worked with a Bangladeshi Muslim immigrant about 15 years ago. We went to a restaurant that had one of those stupid trees and he was amused by its meaning. I explained what it was and that “poor” kids would put a request for presents on the little decorations and people would buy the kid that present. He looked at them and they were all stupid things like fancy shoes, games, and x boxes. He laughed and said a kid in his own country would be happy to just get clean drinking water.
That is rarely the case because the case workers at SA won’t allow it. My Kiwanis club gave bicycles. Too often, the items are returned to Walmart. I saw a guy in line at the service desk with a large stack of diapers, probably donated. Merry Griftmas
I donate items to a local thrift store that uses its profits for a food bank directly in back of the same building. You can see the help it gives local people. I suspect that some people take advantage of the free food but that’s human nature for you.
I also proudly donate to a bird rehabilitation place. At least you know the birds are grateful.