What charities do you donate to?

[cakemakermom]

With it being the season of giving, I was wondering what charities you donate to and why? Is it local or national? Is it aligned with a secular belief system or is it more of a government system? Is it a school or a big charity or a church?

Do you give more this time of year or during another season?

Is it money you give, time or something different like used clothes or blood?

[bumblebee23]

We barely have enough money for us with bills, food, and xmas so we don't donate alot. I will through some change in the Salvation Army jars if I have some. One year I was able to pick up a couple gifts super cheap and got a few extra that I through into the Toys for Tots bin. Usually around this time a year we try to buy one of those pre-packaged Cub bags for the food shelf and donate that.

I would like to do more but we do what we can. I just got a loom set for my bday and I have seen things about people donating hats and things to kids or even soldiers over seas so once I figure it out I think I would like to do something like that.

[doeeyedgirl]

We donate household items and clothing throughout the year to the Salvation Army. DH is adamant about donating, so we throw money in the Salvation Army buckets, donate food to the CROSS in Rogers and try to pick up a Secret Santa or something of the likes during Christmas time. We would love to do more throughout the year, but it doesn't always work out that way.

[cakemakermom]

Do you research the charities before you donate?

[doeeyedgirl]

We typically do the Secret Santa through our church and I have worked with the CROSS for years. I have donated to the Salvation Army as well as shopped there. I guess that would be extent of my research.
I would say that if we were going to donate a large monetary value, then we would research beforehand.
I also donate my time through certain functions with my MOPS group.

[sarahisis]

we do toys for tots every christmas... we either adopt a family or something similar (we baked for four fire depts last year)

local food shelf through (second harvest heartland) cub foods...

diaper drive

we try and do other things throughout the year too...

[dara1012]

We donate throughout the year to: our church (monthly), the charitable foundations of the Saint Paul Jaycees (a community service org I was president of in 2009), and other community orgs like my cousin's bball/boy scouts/etc., or if a friend/family member is doing a charity race where they have to raise funds.

At Christmas we do Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes

[ReneeW]

I'm on the board of a Kids Against Hunger satellite, so that's where most of our donations go. We also do Toys for Tots some years and put money in the Salvation Army kettles when we see them and have small bills on hand.

On occasion I've given money to a veterans group after they called. But before I wrote the check I got on line because I'll only give money if more than 80 cents on the dollar actually goes to the recipients of the charitable group.

[sharon]

While this is not our "season of giving," I thought I'd chime in. I give regularly to Planned Parenthood, NPR, Lambda Legal and the Human Rights Campaign. I donate a small amount to those from my checking account each month automatically.

Then, we also participate in food drives several times a year for local food shelves (whereever our synagogue and Ian's school is collecting for). We usually do operation backpack or through another organization, donate school supplies to a child in need each fall.

We make donations to our synagogue and Ian's school in smaller amounts, whenever we can.

Ian also collects Tzedakah money (kind of like "charity" but the Jewish concept is a bit different) as part of his allowance and we let him choose how long to save it and where to donate it. We match his donation when he does, so through that we have supported organizations like Wilderness Inquiry, The Raptor Center, The Autism Society of Minnesota and more.

I love MAZON (A Jewish anti-hunger organization) since they help everyone. Nechama - Jewish disaster response - is a great organization too. I haven't given to them lately, but this reminds me I should.

We don't give to Boy Scouts or the Salvation Army. We don't research a ton, but when we know a group causes harm - or tries to - , even if they help some people along the way, we don't donate to them. I have heard a lot of people saying the diverting what they have donated to SA in the past to an organization that helps all homeless or hungry without bigotry this year, which I think is a great idea.

[sharon]

OH, and we often buy some hats and mittens for the aptly named "Hats and Mittens" which gets them to Minnesota kids who don't have them. No kid should go through a winter here without them!

[bunsy]

Various organizations:
CF (cystic fibrosis) foundation
Epilepsy foundation
STEP (St Louis Park Emergency Program)
Avenues for Homeless Youth

[ladyandrearose]

We do donations to our church, 98.5 KTIS, I have done the Union Gospel Mission in the past. We like to volunteer at Feed my starving children. I like to buy the pre-grocery packs at Cub and put them in the CEAP bin. I have done Operation Christmas Child and Toys for Tots and Angel Tree at Christmas. Nothing is all the time or every year, usually when I have some extra money.

[deannemdm]

when i was still working I did KTIS and complassion international (had a girl from Honduras), but Dh didn't want to pick up when I had no inocme so no more. We donate some to church, when we go and donate stuff to Neighbor's-- local food shelf and clothes, etc for Inver grove and South St Paul only so I know it is used locally. A few times I have donated to my college (college of st benedict), but not very often. we also have fairly regularly gotten a few toys for toys for tots---a boy and girl or older child "toy"

[slufoot]

We do NPR (DH's choice) and PBS (my choice) and then Toys for Tots. We also try to adopt a family for the holidays, although we haven't yet this year. I want to adopt one with a child around DS's age so that he gets the idea of buying things for other children that need them.

[lilmermaid]

We do Toys For Tots through our dance studio.
We donated a car that we wouldn't have got anything for a trade in to Courage Center.
We donate clothes to thrift stores.