Dylan at Grace Notes tells me that today is "Blog for Hurricane Relief" Day. If you click on the latter link, you’ll see hundreds of blogs and the charity to which they suggest folks send donations.
It’s always tough to pick the "best" charity to which to give. For years, my approach to disasters was simple: in times of domestic crisis, support the Red Cross; in times of international crisis, support World Vision. When I became active in the Mennonite church, however, I felt called to support Mennonite Disaster Services. And when I returned to worshiping at All Saints, my support began to shift towards Episcopal Relief and Development. (If I remember correctly, the latter was formally called the "Presiding Bishop’s Fund").
I wonder — is it a healthy sign, or a sign of brokenness, that each separate church has its own relief agency? On the one hand, having denomination-based relief agencies like those I’ve mentioned allows like-minded believers to pool their resources, and may even inspire greater generosity. Some folks, myself included, may feel that there is some sort of extra intangible merit to giving to a faith-based charity rather than a secular one. Smaller charities may be able to use their resources more effectively. On the other hand, isn’t there a risk of constantly reinventing the wheel? Is it possible that what ends up happening is that the Mennonites, Catholics, Jews, Episcopalians, Reformed and other denominational agencies end up needlessly duplicating each other’s work? How well do these groups coordinate together? Does it matter where we give, or does it matter only that we give?
I’m going to go with the latter today.
Of course, my passion for animals — the most overlooked victims of disasters like this — leads me to want to support the work of the Humane Society’s Disaster Center, or American Humane. Though the human suffering is immense, I am confident that the resources are greater to cope with people than with animals, both wild and domestic. But where should animals rank on the priority list at a time such as this? Is it my own sentimentality, combined with a lack of true empathy and sound theology, that leads me to worry as much about seals and dolphins and lost dogs as I do about my fellow humans?
I gave to the Red Cross on Tuesday, and today, I’m splitting my second donation of the week between Episcopal Relief and Development and the Humane Society. Agonizing over where to give the money is, in the end, of little use to anyone. Giving is what matters, and just as everyone else is doing today, I urge my readers to pick a charity close to their hearts and give.
I’m focusing on human charities for now, but if I do give to animal relief it will probably be to American Humane. I don’t know anything about them, so I like them a lot better than the “Humane” Society.
One of the advantages of hive culture is that each bee is an independent agent. Individual bees are rather stupid, but together they can build structures. There’s a similar thing in computing where you have multiple programs all trying to solve the same problem in a slightly different way. This is how computers play chess.
I wonder if God’s plan is to have a bunch of churches so that, what one misses, another catches.
I don’t know for certain, but it makes it more bearable.
XRLQ, when things are calmer, I’d like to hear why it is you don’t like the Humane society. Rob, yours is a helpful image. Thank you.
What’s worse is that the Anglican Communion Network is taking donations for relief rather than sending people to the larger and incredibly more organized ERD.
Hmm, I may have to retract the prior comment re the Humane Society, at least at the national level. My understanding has been that HSUS supports breed specific legislation (BSL), but this and this suggest the opposite. They’re rumored to have ties with the rabidly anti-pit PETA, whose cruelty to animals is also well-documented. But I don’t know the extent of HSUS’s ties to PETA, assuming there are in fact any.
If it turns out that there are organizational ties between PETA and HSUS, I’ll join XLRQ and scratch the latter off the list of occasional recipients of my charitable budget without a moment’s hesitation. However, it’s inevitable that HSUS will share supporters with PETA, and that some HSUS volunteers and activists will also work with PETA. This doesn’t constitute “ties” in an organized sense.
I think sometimes we have to, like the Lord, say “Whoever is not against us is for us”…
I agree. Everyone needs the money yesterday, and I haven’t the time to fully research the allegations about a PETA tie, which frankly shouldn’t matter anyway if the donation is earmarked for Hurricane Katrina. I ended up donating to HSUS after all, and vowing to know which animal charity is the most deserving by the time the next disaster rolls around.
Kudos on your efforts to bring relief to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. There is another way bloggers and other thoughtful people can help:
I have opened forums at http://www.DisasterReliefIdeas.org for the discussion of ideas to aid disaster relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I am not soliciting donations, only ideas. Experts in aspects of disaster relief (housing, healthcare, rebuilding, etc.) are also able to rate these ideas, giving us a means of identifying the most promising ones, which will be shared with disaster relief professionals and persons in authority. Please help our society by contributing your ideas, especially if you are unable to contribute financially to relief efforts.
I think the small groups can be faster on their feet.
I am the Rector of St Patricks in Long Beach Mississippi. I have stumbled onto an internet connection briefly while fetching supplies from Florida. Our church is COMPLETELY gone, not a stick remaining. I estimate 30% of my flock has lost their homes - not damaged, just gone. GONE. 90% of the others have damage - roofs, flood waters to the ceiling, etc.
I find it amazing as I try to find just a little water and food, that folks on here want to argue over the “correct” animal relief fund.
Folks - do something. Give wherever you can. Worry later. We need all the help we can get. and let me assure you, the people of Mississippi will rise from this trajedy. We are not people looking for a handout, we are prideful and strong and take great courage and hope from our faith. Yet, we would love any and all support you can give as we try to even let our minds recognize the vast scope of this event. I have been to the hardest hit places. Words and pictures cannot describe them.
http://www.dioms.org can give you some other ideas on how to help. Please pray.
Thank you.
David Knight
STILL THE RECTOR, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Long Beach, Mississippi
David, thanks for checking in… please keep us posted and know that you and your community are very much in our prayers. Our next gift to ERD will be with thoughts of you.
I went to an orientation meeting for volunteers at the Red Cross today. I am amazed at the logistical capacity that will be required to get aid to those in need. Red Cross has opened 367 shelters in 4 states, deployed 6,000 volunteers, served 2.7 million meals–mostly cooked by volunteer Southern Baptists cooking them in mobile kitchens at the rate of 20,000 per day. and on and on it goes. Coordinated, planful, passionate. This is the biggest deal that the Red Cross has responded to ever–many times the disaster that was 9/11 the previous record holder. This covers thousands of square miles and millions of people. After seeing the work that Red Cross volunteers are doing pumping volunteers down there to help I am really impressed. The media hasn’t figured this out yet. If I go as a volunteer, it will be after October 1 with RC. I am thinking about how to get a group from our church to go in a few months to do construction, build relationships with people in need. A great opportunity to demonstrate Jesus’ love in a broken world.
Let me know, we can sure use your help.
31 parishioners and counting whose homes are completely destroyed. Our average Sunday attendance is 140.
I so appreciate all the help that is here and that is coming. It’s pretty desperate here
David, what kind of help specifically would be most useful to you? I think that there are a lot of people who would like to help but are not sure what the best way is to do so. There is some concern that the Red Cross, for example, is not able to freely operate in NO.
I hope all your parishioners and friends/family are safe. I have old family friends in Biloxi who I still haven’t been able to get in touch with. It’s a horrible time for a great many people.