I've been looking for a way to help the folks who were hardest hit by Isabel. I do not want to send money to the Red Cross as we did after 9/11. Can someone tell me if there is any organization taking donations?
I haven't heard of any yet.
Some of the papers I go out and get on Saturdays are from some of the hardest hit areas. If I find any info I will post it ASAP.
I've been seeing those Red Cross ads on TV asking for money, but I don't want to support them either. I don't trust them to get the money where it's intended to go. The Salvation Army is usually quick to set up support for disaster areas, and they have a great history of keeping their own costs to a minimum. We'll have some significant Isabel costs of our own, but I expect we'll send a donation to the Salvation Army earmarked for disaster relief. We certainly are better off than our Southern neighbors.
We haven't sent money to the Red Cross for years. The Salvation Army does a lot of wonderful work but doesn't get the publicity and we have preferred sending donations to them for a long time.
Also, most large church denominations (the Methodists, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, Catholic Charities, etc.) have funds and people for responding to such situations ... and virtually nothing is ever publicized about this.
Back in the 80's, we had a rare outbreak of destructive tornadoes in NC. The rural county we lived in and the one adjacent were among the hardest hit. Through his work, hubby knew many people who lived in some of the outlying communities that got clobbered .... and he also knew several who were in volunteer rescue squads.
The tornadoes hit about 9:00 at night. The next morning, several church organizations already had people in place and were truly helping .... giving out food, clothing, and (where appropirate) money as well as arranging for shelter. The Red Cross was on site also but was mostly adding names to lists .... and the mention of FEMA still makes people see red.
When the same areas were devastated by the flooding from Floyd, it was the local citizens and the National Guard who were the most helpful .... organized drop-off areas for supplies and clothing, managed the distribution of goods and services, etc. In the community with which I was most familiar, the local churches were instrumental. One took on the task of feeding volunteers, another the manning of the warehouse where supplies were received and distributed, etc.
Right now communication with local churches in the hard-hit areas would be impossible ..... but you might contact churches in your own area and see what they know about efforts to help in the "battle zones." They may well be taking donations (goods or money) and organizing work teams.
There are many ways to help without donating to the Red Cross but they are the ones that the media promote.