Question of the Day: Tues. Jan. 31, 2012

Hi,glad you're back.

   I don't donate on a regular basis but animal charities and macmillan cancer care are charities that are close to my heart.I am doing a run for charity soon,need some sponsors probably lots as I can't run x

I try to donate to the heart and stroke foundation when I can. My mom had a stroke and I lost my dad and both of my grandpas to heart attacks. 

When we donate we usually send it to cancer care  or the heart fund.     Clothing, furniture, etc. we call when of the local charities that provide the furniture for people who need it and they don't charge them.

Every few months we will go through the house and donate clothes and house things that we do not need, usually to the diabetes society, as they call around to put fliers advertising donation pick up. When I donate money it's to the ewing sarcoma society or the SPCA. 

Whiskers Rescue (cat shelter) (I buy from their eBay store)

Vietnam Veterans of America (they accept donations of clothing, housewares, books, etc.)

Goodwill (as above)

Cat Angel Network

Our local food bank

Salvation Army

For some reason, I've never donated to "people" charities. I do give regularly to a no-kill shelter (outside our area) because they always seem to have a lot of cats. I've never given to the Salvation Army, other than money for the red kettles over the holidays. There's a "Feed a Friend" thing around the holidays, but I've never given to that either. I don't know why, but I give for animals.

ETA: I forgot that we do donate clothing and such to a local Salvation Army for re-use. We do that about twice a year or so. And when my aunt passed away, my sister and I went through her clothing and linens and gave everything we could to the nursing home. They were pleased to get the sweaters and other clothing and such as many of their patients don't have a lot of clothing anymore.

We have a Website over here in Australia called "Givit".  It makes giving really personal, and affordable.  Local charities put in requests for items... anything from computers, furniture and white goods down to cutlery and laundry powder. 

For example, we've given a large supply of laundry powder to a Women's Shelter, a whole lot of potted ferns to a chap with severe mental problems who is finally able to have his own space, my sewing machine which I rarely used to a teenage refugee who has great dressmaking skills but no way of using them, and many other things.  You feel like there is a direct link between the giving and the receiving, which is nice.

I also regularly donate to WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals), and of course many of us donate time (in my case at the local animal shelter).

I'm really not big on the word 'charity' as there's a large component of "There but for the grace of (insert your preferred word here) go I", and besides, doesn't it feel good?

Giving things is a win/win thing really