Altruism/Philanthropy

[ideologyhunter]

I'm interested in finding out what others have done/are doing to make the world a little better. Specifically, what actions have you taken locally, or what groups have you funded? Have you invented some small-scale personal outreach that you feel good about?
I'll share an example: every Christmas Eve I bring a large assortment of holiday treats to a place in our town where an emergency staff has to be on duty (i.e., police station, fire dept., ER admittance.)

 

[BH]

I never married or had kids and my salary is sufficient for me to live on. I get bonuses just about every month. I take the bonuses and go out and buy shoes with them and give them to a couple of churches in town that have clothing ministries. I am usually able to buy ten to twenty clearance shoes, sometimes name brand, each month. When I can't find any shoes I'll buy clothing items like socks and underwear, ect and donate them. I've been doing it for about ten years and I estimate I have given away around 1500 pairs of shoes during that time.

 

[rousseau]

I prefer to give money and food directly to homeless people and food banks. My office also runs a Christmas gift program for disadvantaged families which I enjoy taking part in.

For some reason I have an aversion to donating to charities like Heart and Stroke. In my office they have regular events to contribute to heart and stroke, and this might just be irrationality on my part, but without knowing what tangible things my money is actually doing, I'm not super eager to give. Would rather put a 5 dollar bill in a homeless person's hand.

 

[Jobar]

I donate to the Red Cross, Planned Parenthood, and other organized charities- irregularly, I admit. I also make it a point to contribute generously any time the local fire departments are out asking. And I've been known to lend a hand to needy friends, neighbors, and family. I often forgive debts to my lawn care company, if I know that the person really is in a bad way financially.

 

[ruby sparks]

I have to hold my hand up and say I do very little, apart from contributing via taxes and dropping my spare change into plastic jars at shop checkouts or occasionally into a plastic coffee cup on the ground beside someone on the street, plus (sometimes) responding to emergency reliefs ads on tv. I used to have very modest monthly subscriptions to a couple of charities but I cancelled these when I lost my job in 2013 and haven't reactivated them, even though I'm now doing ok again.

My wife (also an atheist as it happens) organises various charity donation enterprises at her school, including Oxfam xmas hampers and the like.

I should do more and I admire the posters above.

 

[rousseau]

I have to hold my hand up and say I do very little, apart from contributing via taxes and dropping my spare change into plastic jars at shop checkouts or occasionally into a plastic coffee cup on the ground beside someone on the street. I used to have very modest monthly subscriptions to a couple of charities but I cancelled these when I lost my job in 2013 and haven't reactivated them, even though I'm now doing ok again.

My wife (also an atheist as it happens) organises various charity donation enterprises at her school, including Oxfam xmas hampers and the like.

I should do more and I admire the posters above.

I shouldn't feel too smug. My charity has really gone down this year as we pay for our wedding (some trade off there eh?).

 

[Tharmas]

Because I am able to, I send in small contributions on a regular basis to a number of international and national charities, including OXFAM, Doctors Without Borders, Planned Parenthood, our local food bank and, in honor of my father, the American Friends Service Committee. The latter is the Quaker charities organization.

I take alcohol and drug rehabilitation classes to our local penitentiary on a weekly basis.

The last six months has seen a change in my donations, however. I am giving liberally to Democratic/Progressive candidates and cutting back proportionally on my charities. I hope I will be able to go back to normal, come November.