Disaster Aid

I have noticed a remarkable amount of drives for various charities on second life, most are very large and not to degate their need for donations, there are many smaller organizations that need us and are becoming extint.

I speak about food banks.

this was released today,
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/091708dnmetfoodbank.7ff25ffc.html

They need help.

Do not forget your local food banks and christian sharing centers. A couple jars of peanut butter, jelly, bread, tuna.. Tampons, deoderant, toilet paper...... You can find something to donate!


The Red Cross also do not forget them.
I myself about 16 years ago lost everything I had in a house fire, luckly no one was hurt and we were renting at the time with no insurance, the red cross assisted us as well as a local christain charity. It is overwhelming and whatever saving you have is gone in a heartbeat trying to replace what you lost.

I give every year a good sum to both these orginizations. I know what it feels like to lose everything you have and have nothing but a t shirt and panties to claim as your own.

Please don't become used to the natural occurances that damage and cause destruction to people, it can and just might be you one day.

I'm not sure I trust the effectiveness of charities marketed in world, unless maybe they are for raising funds to help a well loved resident.

Fortunately our local grocery chain has items for sale to donate to our food bank charity and a donation bin right there at the check out line. I always feel like this is the easy way out, that I could have done more. But better the easy charity than none at all, I hope.

Being a Louisiana resident I remember well after hurricanes KAtrina and Rita the HUGE number of of groups collecting donations for Katrina relief. I was deeply touched by the number of people who kicked in whatever L$ they could spare to the cause.

Unfortunately among the HONEST charities were also scammers using the disaster as a way to line thier own pockets.

My advice to anyone wanting to donate inworld - either very carefully check out who is collecting or better yet donate directly to the clarity in real life and bypass the L$ donations altogether. I regret that this is necessary advice but there are just too many out there without any concience at all.

Good advice, Ive never seen the point of donating to anything inworld. I much rather take care of it outside SL.

Same here. Keep in mind that anything you donate inworld has to be converted to real currency, and there will be some cost to that ... plus it passes through more hands before it gets to a real charity's bank account, very possibly including someone's untraceable inworld account.

Also, I am not completely rational, so I will be much more likely to happily donate $100 than I will $L 27,000. Just because of the sheer size of the amount in Lindens *shrugs*.
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I will occasionally donate in world if I'm at an event, like the Autism carnival this past weekend, or if a purchase goes toward a charity, otherwise I keep my philantropy to RL as well.

I have noticed the same thing about myself.

I have donated items to be sold/auctioned inworld for charity reasons and have a few times donated some L$.

I am very weary of any and all charity fund drives in SL.. and have given a few to some but not many... A lot of times, if a cause it brought to my attention in world then I will go to that website and read up.. Call if there is a number and go from there.. But the insistant hounding to reach a specific goal someone has made in SL won't make me give.

I would think a good form of PR would be for LL to make a very large donation to a lesser known charity... Write a big fat rl funds check LL.. The news people love that.


We are one people and one planet, lets not blow it by turning a blind eye to causes that we CAN make a difference in. a can of pasta, .99 to you, to a child who has no food, it means the world.

And in my earler post I did mention christian charities, this is not to say other religions do not support or have assistance. They was just a personal savior to me in my time of need.
I know the Pagan network in florida does a lot of charity work, although harder for people to find.

ok, Im done.. go forth and help your fellow man.

/me drops some prim food into the donation box

Seriously, I donate to inworld charities when it's a large, well-known group. If I'd never heard of it before SL, I don't.

Also, I donate in-kind when I can. A lot of groups could get more results from a donated item they can sell or auction than from a straight donation.

I was in no way attacking your intent. I agree donating is a good thing. I was just pointing out to those lurkers that may be new players that in SL there is a risk. Much safer to donate RL.