Donating

[Lauxa]

I came across this request for donations a couple of days ago:

Mobile Loaves & Fishes Blog: Virtually No Arms & Legs! Can You Help Us Help Peggy Get Off The Streets?? #Homeless

Basically it's an attempt to raise money for a handicapped-accessible RV for a woman who has a birth defect due to her mother using thalidomide.

When I see a request like this I feel largely powerless. Homelessness, especially in my own city, is an issue I would like to help impact. I know there is no way I can personally donate enough to get an RV for this woman. Even if I donate a few hundred dollars, realistically I know this doesn't make a dent. Even if they succeed in funding this woman, there are hundreds more homeless people still on the streets. I know that everyone is busy and has their own causes they care about and I don't like to intrude and ask others to care or help.

How do you feel when you see something like this? What is an empowering way to react to requests for donations?

[ar81]

I bet you may not have money. So why not donate your time?
Quality of life is not just about money, but about feeling fine too.

For example, if you know music, you could deliver a musical instrument and teach poor how to play for free.

If you know about cooking, you may organize a class of cooking. If the person is poor I bet you can find a way to give that person the ingredients, and that would be a small donation, and you eat the delicious product of the class.

I know those ideas may not be useful forpeople with no arms and legs. Or perhaps it may be... Could they develop a way to do it?

You may think your aid is useless, but at some point it may give those people a tool to make a living. If you cook, you may sell food, if you teach about making drawings, that person may like to sell art eventually. It may not make them rich, but it may help.

In US people are used to the idea that helping is about donating money. But your time is as valuable or even more valuable than money. And time is money, so you are indeed donation money but you know exactly that 100% of your "money" (time) goes directly to the beneficiary, without overhead costs in the middle.

You may not solve their problem, but making their lives easier is of great help.