CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS ONLY WANT YOUR MONEY

I have been volunteering at a Katrina Relief donation center where people can drop off new/ used clothing and new toiletries, canned and dry goods, and any other item someone may need to begin a new household. The clothes are sorted through and boxed by gender, age, and item. This is a lengthy process being performed by many caring and concerned individuals. No volunteer is turned away. Some individuals have limited capacity to volunteer, they come in wearing their portable oxygen or with their canes and some are mentally slow but everyone is given something they can do. The cities jail trustees are kind individuals putting in twelve hour days and never once complaining, unlike some other volunteers. The city government opened a manufacturing plant closed and gutted by the original owner in order to give this effort everything it could be given. Semi loads of goods, new and used, are coming in from people in just two counties. Professional logistics planners and coordinators are on sight at all times and are in charge of packaging and distribution. It's simply amazing.

It is a phenomenal undertaking with pallets being loaded and wrapped readied for shipment. A shop has been opened onsight for any evacuee to come and get what they need.

There's only one problem. There is no where for all of these goods to go at the moment. The Red Cross doesn't want them. The state governor's office informed the local mayor these items weren't needed although this state has the second largest group of evacuees and apparently FEMA isn't interested either. What all of these organizations do want and will take is your money.

Now, I understand that the country is currently overwhelmed with the housing, transportation, healthcare, and other needs of this sudden city-size population of homeless people. I understand too, that we haven't absorbed this tragedy yet. The aftershock is rocking and reeling us much like 9/11 did. I can also say as a participant in this vast relief effort being undertaken in a college town amongst a population of roughly 60,000 people that I became struck by the awareness that this type of relief effort is going on all across this nation. The amount of goods boxed and ready for shipment is probably incomprehensive. While some of it is being transported to specific locations, I'm sure most of it is simply sitting waiting for marching orders.

I have been involved with a group of evacuees since they arrived in this area. There are all kinds of people in this group and they have already been moved once. I gave my name and phone number to the Red Cross people and to the individuals who have been relocated. I informed those running the front office at the new location that I could get these people whatever they needed from the relief center and if there was a specific need to let me know. I gave this same information to the evacuees. For the first week these individuals were being housed at the new location, one mom sleeps with her four small children in a room smaller than my study, there wasn't a Red Cross person on sight that I ever saw and I visited at least once every other day. The evacuees let me know they needed car seats, baby swings, strollers, etc. and I found and delivered them.

No problem until this past Saturday, September 10th, when I was confronted by a Red Cross volunteer, a coordinator (still don't know what organization this person belongs to) and a deputy sheriff. I was told in no uncertain terms that I was not to bring anything more to these people. That due to MY lack of coordination, the Red Cross had needlessly purchased a car seat and an infant swing (turns out the swing was too small which is why I was asked by the evacuee to get another one). Remember, I had left my phone number with the Red Cross shelter when these people arrived, the office at the place where the evacuees were relocated, and have been regularly visiting these individuals. I asked the deputy if I was doing something illegal that his presence was required to add a sense of enforcement to this woman's tirade? He shook his head no. The Red Cross had wasted money not due to my negligence but due to their own. I'm sure this is going on all over the place.

It was then that I realized that these "relief" organizations really don't want us involved beyond our pocket books. They want to be in total control of any situation even though they are over taxed resourcefully. There is limited space available to the evacuees and I'm sure that this is true for every one of them unless they have already transitioned out to housing beyond that of a shelter or camp type situation.

I realize that right now every "relief" organization is getting a windfall of money from the current tragedy and our government has written a blank check. We, the people, have also. It is the norm in this country to write the check or chuck the change into the relief efforts in order to deal with the psychological trauma we all experience when such a huge disaster occurs. It's the reason that internet shysters pop up and get rich. This blank check fuels the economy to hopefully lessen the economic impact that will no doubt occur.

The problem is......who will tell this group volunteering at the local relief center that they should probably put the brakes on right now?