Charity Donations

[RASPUTINS-DOG]

I have seen today, as I do most days , appeals for money to help children affected by conflict, money to provide warm clothes, medicine, nutrition...
I remember doing a shoe box gift when I was much younger...to send to poorer countries..filling the box with a gift or clothes or just something to bring a smile to a child's face....do we not do this anymore...is everything done by text..
I regularly have a bit of a clear out of clothes for the local charity shop but feel it could be doing much more good elsewhere...

[Dizmo]

I feel the same which is why I have volunteered to work in a soup kitchen this Christmas and New Year for the Homeless and Roofless at Christmas charity. It is so easy to give money, don't get me wrong that money is vital but I prefer to see where it goes and if that means giving up my time I'd prefer it that way.

[Old_Geezer]

You *REALLY* don't want to text these charities anything. You'll be plagued for the following year with calls from persistent pushy callers trying to get you to agree to continuous donations.

[Mamyalynne]

I believe the Rotary Club still does the Shoebox Scheme, contact your local one for details.

[Svejk]

If you send a shoe-box the next ABer'll send an orange-box and before you know it we'll be inundated with containers full of (imagined) goodies.

[FrogNog]

Maybe it's because your idea of a special gift is not theirs, even if sent with the best intentions.
I'm guessing in a lot of aid countries a geometry set, pencils and paper and seeds and trowels would go down rather well, not a teddy bear and a tin of spam, which with the best will in the world, is what these boxes usually contain.
You can stop charities spamming you by texting back with whatever the word is, usually stop and if you ask them to remove you from their lists they will.

[janbee]

As others have already said, do not pledge by text. You'll be swamped forever. Change your number.

[chelle7272]

Plenty of charities still do shoe box schemes, some schools still do them too.

[bookbinder]

Yes, some people still send things abroad via the shoe box scheme. My sister-in-law does it, as do many other members of her local church community.

[boxtops]

Many of the churches send Christmas shoeboxes still - but it costs a fair bit to transport them out to the needy. It does give me a a wry smile that these Christmas boxes often go to families who are of different faiths so don't celebrate Christmas per se, but it's the goodwill which counts, after all.

We have sent in the past to the useful charities such as Send a Cow, which actually provides goats, cows etc to needy families.

This new loan scheme being advertised (£15 as a start up to a third world country) sounds quite interesting, anyone tried it yet?

[March-Hare]

Shoe boxes still happen - and I did them every year until this year (no time with house move)

[ummmm]

The church my mum attends still does them.