Food bank keeps asking me to donate

[Dave9]

Originally Posted by addyguy
Charities are just another business model.

They 'sell' the idea of helping people in order to make money.

They are not in it for the good of anybody except themselves.


Whatever cynicism you might have about the world, they do in fact help some needy people. If we want to say it is profit/greed based, well we could say the same about 80% of the workers in the world in any for-profit profession, that they're necessarily doing it to Get Paid, not to make the world a better place.

Money (or labor, still a commodity of value) makes the world go around and the poor are always going to get the trickle-down from that. It is not a reason to shut off the faucet trickling down to them, but it is important that there are checks and balances to keep charities as effective as possible.

 

[uc50ic4more]

Originally Posted by addyguy
Charities are just another business model.

They 'sell' the idea of helping people in order to make money.

They are not in it for the good of anybody except themselves.


I could not disagree more. Being a part of a charity or non-profit is easily the dumbest and - by far - the least effective way possible for one to attempt to line one's pockets. Apart from a very small number of sleazebags who pilfer the coffers of these organizations, they are all staffed by very hard-working, underpaid assets to their communities.

There is, however, a "business" side to charitable activity; but the "selling" is to those who fund them (either the general public or larger-scale underwriters). The "product" is effectiveness and is "sold" either as feel-good human interest media to the general public or charts and spreadsheets filled with overly-quantified demographic metrics that show that some given program has "moved the needle" in the severity of some given problem by some given criteria.

It is not easy and those who punish themselves trying to do good are also cast aspersions upon by people with no knowledge of these things; much like those who serve in public office. Descending into blanket cynicism is for the weakest and least thoughtful of us.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by addyguy
Charities are just another business model.

They 'sell' the idea of helping people in order to make money.

They are not in it for the good of anybody except themselves.


No matter how cynical you get, you just can't keep up.

 

[csandste]

Originally Posted by Dave9
Originally Posted by pitzel
Don't they have EBT/SNAP? Last time I looked at the benefit levels from those programs, it didn't seem like much of an issue to buy proper staple foods and prepare reasonably nutritious meals from such. I personally don't buy snack or pre-prepared foods and quite easily live on less of a monthly food ration than I could buy at a low-cost retailer on SNAP/EBT benefit levels. So what's the need for "food banks", other than to provide food to those who are not legally eligible for EBT/SNAP, ie: illegal immigrants.



The need is for various reasons some people can't jump through the hoops of the EBT/etc programs. Some many have health problems affecting mental function whether substance abuse or other disease, or lack a phone or internet connection needed to maintain benefits, or not have a stable mailing address (essentially close enough to homeless), or a combination of these and other factors.

Could be that some immigrants also use the food banks but that seems like a policing issue not a reason to shut them down. I mean within the context of enough oversight that the money goes where it should instead of lining someone's pockets.


Grocers use food banks to redirect surplus, expiring food. If you didn't have them you would just be throwing even more food away. I give money rather than cans of tuna, because food banks get huge pallets of surplus materials and redistribute them to the agencies that actually distribute food.

 

[DGXR]

As others said, they put your name on a list the moment you first donated. You've given before so obviously they are going to ask you again. Your choices are to donate again, ignore the solicitations, or ask them to remove your name from the list. I get the same stuff all year long from all of my local charities and I ignore everything except the one time per year I have selected as my donation: Thanksgiving. Makes it easier for me to quickly decide when to ignore and when to respond.

 

[NO2]

If you can go to the food bank and volunteer - which mostly means sorting food into individual boxes - it's probably legit. Always donate directly to the charity and not to a fundraiser. Most food bank money is spent for delivery, fuel, boxes, utilities, etc. not for food purchases. Our local food bank has widespread support and gets all sorts of expensive gourmet stuff from vendors and manufacturers. I've seen artisan bread, fancy mustards and sauces, and olive oils delivered to the old folks homes.

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted by javacontour
I would add people are bad at math, or don't bother. They'll see someone is getting $1 million/year and think it is outrageous, but then look at how much the charity does, say a billion or two in aid provided and then realize the "highly paid" executive is getting 0.1% or so of the funds.

I see it here all the time. Someone throws out a big number, Wal*Mart made X Billions last year. Big number, but when you look at the numbers, it was like a 2-3% margin.

Meanwhile, their favorite cell phone maker made a 20-40% profit and it's no big deal.

Lots of hysteria, very little critical reasoning. People just become easily manipulated sheep when they allow themselves to be lead by their lizard brain emotions and fail to engage in critical reasoning.

Originally Posted by uc50ic4more
I do a lot of work with non-profits and charities. Here are a few thoughts to consider:

1) They are all run, of course, by people. These people could make a much better living doing something else; but choose community service instead.
2) Their pay is *always* in doubt. Funding could run out any given quarter, or at the election of any new given government. Executive Directors are always trying to do something with too little.
3) Their calling is to help others. When it is reported that "X%" of all donations go to the staff of the charity, I think a lot of folks do not realize that it is the STAFF of the charity that does all of the good. Simply re-allocating handouts only create cultures of dependence. We need people doing things to help, not handouts.
4) Absolutely no one who works in a non-profit or charity enjoys fundraising. It stinks and it takes away from their time and effort doing what they see as needing to be done.



Could not have said it better myself. People just like to [censored], when they really understand very little about what they're talking about. It's the history of humanity.

 

[talest]

Originally Posted by gathermewool
Could not have said it better myself. People just like to [censored], when they really understand very little about what they're talking about. It's the history of humanity.

Ain't that the truth.

 

[pitzel]

Originally Posted by Dave9
The need is for various reasons some people can't jump through the hoops of the EBT/etc programs. Some many have health problems affecting mental function whether substance abuse or other disease, or lack a phone or internet connection needed to maintain benefits, or not have a stable mailing address (essentially close enough to homeless), or a combination of these and other factors.

Could be that some immigrants also use the food banks but that seems like a policing issue not a reason to shut them down. I mean within the context of enough oversight that the money goes where it should instead of lining someone's pockets.

I personally think its more of a case that the SNAP/EBT benefits were used to stock up on Pepsi (apparently a currency that's used to trade for illegal drugs, prostitutes, etc. amongst the poor), and the food needs have to be met elsewhere. I have no interest in supporting that.

 

[DoubleWasp]

I know what I know about charities not from assumption, but from some very public scandals.

Excuse not to help? Bull. I just choose to help in ways I KNOW are going to get the help where it needs to go. Too many of the big name charities have been caught up in scandals. I just avoid them and go to more competent resources.

Red Cross has a truly troubled history. Whether it's working with the Vatican to make fake passports to help Nazi war criminals disappear, or taking in windfalls of cash for the Haiti Earthquake and very little of it showing up in Haiti, I want nothing to do with that organization.

There are general good things about charities. But that doesn't mean that all charities operate along the same principles.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by pitzel
Originally Posted by Dave9
The need is for various reasons some people can't jump through the hoops of the EBT/etc programs. Some many have health problems affecting mental function whether substance abuse or other disease, or lack a phone or internet connection needed to maintain benefits, or not have a stable mailing address (essentially close enough to homeless), or a combination of these and other factors.

Could be that some immigrants also use the food banks but that seems like a policing issue not a reason to shut them down. I mean within the context of enough oversight that the money goes where it should instead of lining someone's pockets.

I personally think its more of a case that the SNAP/EBT benefits were used to stock up on Pepsi (apparently a currency that's used to trade for illegal drugs, prostitutes, etc. amongst the poor), and the food needs have to be met elsewhere. I have no interest in supporting that.


It's a very common theme in this thread that people take the exception for the norm. Just like there are a few fraudulent charities, there's always a certain amount of fraud in any enterprise. That's not really grounds for getting rid of the entire enterprise.

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted by pitzel
Don't they have EBT/SNAP? Last time I looked at the benefit levels from those programs, it didn't seem like much of an issue to buy proper staple foods and prepare reasonably nutritious meals from such. I personally don't buy snack or pre-prepared foods and quite easily live on less of a monthly food ration than I could buy at a low-cost retailer on SNAP/EBT benefit levels. So what's the need for "food banks", other than to provide food to those who are not legally eligible for EBT/SNAP, ie: illegal immigrants.

You obviously don't have a clue. It would be more beneficial if you did not post on subjects which you don't have any understanding of.

 

[pitzel]

Originally Posted by dave1251
Originally Posted by pitzel
Don't they have EBT/SNAP? Last time I looked at the benefit levels from those programs, it didn't seem like much of an issue to buy proper staple foods and prepare reasonably nutritious meals from such. I personally don't buy snack or pre-prepared foods and quite easily live on less of a monthly food ration than I could buy at a low-cost retailer on SNAP/EBT benefit levels. So what's the need for "food banks", other than to provide food to those who are not legally eligible for EBT/SNAP, ie: illegal immigrants.

You obviously don't have a clue. It would be more beneficial if you did not post on subjects which you don't have any understanding of.

How so? I've looked at the EBT/SNAP tables online. For example: https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/a-quick-guide-to-snap-eligibility-and-benefits

A single person receives a maximum of $192/month.

Except in very high cost locales, I don't see how it would be even remotely difficult to eat quite well for $192/month in food costs in the lower 48.

Unless of course, pre-prepared foods, junk foods, etc., are significantly being added to the equation.

People who can't make ends meet on the EBT/SNAP rations need education on proper meal planning, food choices, purchasing tactics, and preparation. Not food banks.

 

[Kage860]

A coworker was telling me about his aunt who got all her food at the food bank. And when something came up with the family it came out that she had a bunch of money saved up. That was pretty discouraging.

 

[fdcg27]

You fed the cat, so the cat keeps coming back.
Doesn't make it a scam.
Much has been written here about the legitimacy of charitable organizations and that really does cut both ways.
It's easily documented that some organizations with noble names and stated aims exist mainly to provide nice paychecks to their administrators while others really do good works and those running them live on poverty level wages.
As with anything else in this life, you find the good, the bad and the ugly.
It's up to all of us as donors to fund the good and ignore the rest.
Yes, all of us who are fortunate enough to enjoy a good and secure lifestyle owe something to those who don't, so we should donate money.
We may not need help and may never, but there are those among our countrymen who do. It's also not entirely up to the government, which also has its own scams in which programs exist more for well compensated administrators than for those they purport to help.