How to help the poor best?

[strngrnrth]

How can we help the hungry most efficiently?
Multiple choice. Please give your reasoning. I want this to start a conversation that will bring excellent, efficient, effective ways to light.
OK, it’s not letting me post a poll. I don’t get it. So just list the ways that might work
Here are a few to discuss:
freerice.com
hunger site
other clickables
other organizations
buy goods from poor countries
support democratic movements in poor countries (how?)
consume less

 

[ribozyme]

How can we help the hungry most efficiently?
Multiple choice. Please give your reasoning. I want this to start a conversation that will bring excellent, efficient, effective ways to light.
OK, it’s not letting me post a poll. I don’t get it. So just list the ways that might work
Here are a few to discuss:
freerice.com
hunger site
other clickables
other organizations
buy goods from poor countries
support democratic movements in poor countries (how?)
consume less

For me (Soros style):

Running a hedge fund with billions of assets under your management and with the ability to make large directional bets and using the money from performance fees as charitable donations.

I prefer to support democratic movements in poor countries and providing medical care to poor countries.

 

[cynic]

well obviously government is the problem

 

[Verisimilitude]

Metaphorically; teach them to fish, not give them one.

 

[mapleoak]

How can we help the hungry most efficiently?
Multiple choice. Please give your reasoning. I want this to start a conversation that will bring excellent, efficient, effective ways to light.
OK, it’s not letting me post a poll. I don’t get it. So just list the ways that might work
Here are a few to discuss:
freerice.com
hunger site
other clickables
other organizations
buy goods from poor countries
support democratic movements in poor countries (how?)
consume less

Find someone(s) in need and personally help them get back on track. Give to your Church.

 

[LCMS_No_More]

The best antipoverty program is a good, secure, high paying, union job with full benefits and a pension.

Something unheard of since the Reagan Administration.

 

[YADA]

For me (Soros style):

Running a hedge fund with billions of assets under your management and with the ability to make large directional bets and using the money from performance fees as charitable donations.

I prefer to support democratic movements in poor countries and providing medical care to poor countries.

Well by Golly - that’s the ticket

Make paper money … Oil Futures … we’ve been hearing lots about that in the news lately … no product - no service … getting rich and then … choosing the “chairty” you want to drop a few bucks [or million bucks - over time of course and with the tax write offs - of course] …

It does not matter if the making of the money via hedge funds hurt the poor and middle class in the earning …

it does not matter if the charities supported are immoral … [supporting abortion on demand, stem cell research, drug legelization, Euthanasia, etc]

or if the majority of the money earned by said philanthropist is used to slander people or buy government representation through political electioneering. …

that will really help the poor … YEPPERS - that’s the ticket

 

[Penny_Plain]

Individually and collectively. Give your time and treasure to organizations that help them. Choose a family to help.

There’s no shortage of poor people and no shortage of ways to help them.

 

[jmcrae]

Metaphorically; teach them to fish, not give them one.

How about, while teaching them to fish, give them fish, until they can get their own without your help.

Other things that could help: Set up an education fund for a child born out of wedlock (since it’s unlikely that his or her parents will have thought of setting something up for them), support a lunch program, give personal grants to people who want to upgrade their education to escape from a dead-end job, buy local (meaning, if there’s an independently-owned store in your area that sells what you’re looking for, go to that store before going to Walmart or buying on the Internet) - all of these things will make the lives of the poor a little more bearable, and who knows, they may even escape from poverty, ultimately.

 

[Fitswimmer]

My parish has a strong commitment to social justice and my offerings go to support that. We “tithe the tithe” which means that 10% of our offerings go to help the poor both in our immediate area and overseas. Our parish helped fund and build two Habitat for Humanity homes in our town, and our dollars are going to build homes and a school in Haiti. We also have trips every year to Appalachia and we have recently added a trip to the Gulf coast to help build homes there. We also help families directly who come to us needing a bill paid, a babysitter or a ride to the MD-come to Father and he’ll see that it gets done. We have Food Bag Sunday once a month where we all bring in a bag of food for the Interfaith food pantry. We also do donations of gently used clothing on those weekends.

Even with all that-I know that faith based charities can’t do it all. We desperately need health care reform and tax cuts that are larger for those on the lower end of the scale so they can put more of their $$ back into the economy. We tried giving big tax cuts to the top 2% with the idea that they would invest it and things would get better for everyone, but that hasn’t panned out so well. The stimulus checks were a good idea, now we need stimulus tax cuts so that the same people who pumped their stimulus checks into the economy will pump their tax cut there too.

 

[YADA]

There are thousands of ways to assist the poor …too numenrous to list.

Offer living wages to those who work for you…

Teach your children about justice and to be good citizens and loving generous Christians …

Give your employer your best, work hard and be honest …

Share your Time Talents and Treasure as generously as God shared them with you …

Find and support chaitable organizations like this one: JOIN - Connecting the Street to the Home … [a link to the site: http://www.jo(name removed by moderator)dx.com/ ]

They are very successful at moving homeless people into permanent housing … for 2007 here are their statistics:

---

Outreach Program Service Report
Transition and Retention
1-1-2007

---

2007

Families w/dependent children housed = 78

Dependent children = 118

Total number of households transitioned = 292

Total number of people permanently housed = 479

Successful 12-Monthy Housing Retention Rate = 75%

---

75% of the families they assisted were still in permanent housing one year later …

NOT ALL CHARITIES ARE AS EFFECTIVE - YOU NEED TO CAREFULLY SELECT THOSE THAT PUT MOST OF THE FUNDS DONATED TO THE ACTUAL CAUSE [LOW OVERHEAD] AND ONE TAHT ACTUALLY GET MEANINGFUL RESULTS

I REALLY LIKE JOIN… IT IS A WONDERFUL ORGAINZATION AND SHOULD BE A MODEL FOR SIMILAR ONES IN EVERY MAJOR CITY

 

[MCL]

First, a personal story that will try to illuminate some of the difficulties in assisting someone who is poor. A disclaimer: this is a personal experience and does not necessarily apply to all poor people.

A few years back, my sister and brother-in-law operated a pizza shop. Nearby lived a family. The mother had six children. Her live-in boyfriend had 2. So the family consisted of 8 children and 2 adults. She held a full time job at a county-owned nursing home for mentally ill adults. She receives full health care benefits and food stamps. He played his saxophone on the streets and begged for money. He did not work at any regular job.

Often the teenagers would do odd jobs for my sister and she would pay them under the table. One Monday, a few of the children showed up and asked for something to eat. They were hungry and said they hadn’t had anything to eat since Friday. The food stamps ran out before the end of the month and there was no money to buy food. The children received free breakfasts and lunches during the school year, but the summer was harder to manage the food budget.

So my sister fed them. I contacted the local food bank and took the mother to sign up. She received an emergency stock of food and continues to go regularly to the food bank.

For the past few years, I have driven her to the food bank and to go grocery shopping because she does not drive. We have developed a friendship. Our church regularly includes the family in Thanksgiving food baskets and the Christmas giving tree program.

She has kicked out the boyfriend. Unfortunately, she had quite a lot of guilt over this because this also meant his two children were left without a home.

They have also received other assistance from other agencies. The family lives in a house the mother rented from her uncle. The house is in deplorable shape. At one point, I gave her information about Habitat for Humanity in order to try to get the family better living conditions. She was not interested. At the time, 4 of the children were teenage boys and I thought the sweat equity of contributing to a house through H for H would be good. She didn’t want to do the work. However, she managed to secure a modest mortgage and eventually purchased the house. She has received new appliances and windows from local utilities. When a parishioner had a tv to give, I took it to them.

She has developed a network of people to assist her - co-workers, family, neighbors, friends, etc. The local Baptist church takes the kids to get new winter coats through the Project Bundle Up.

At the beginning, I was eager to help and very generous. However, I have also seen some really bad decisions made and wonder what to say and do. For example, she regularly gets her nails done and regularly buys hair extensions to have her hair done. Last year, with her tax refund check, she bought a new big screen tv to make it their 4th tv. She bought a dog. Yet, she will ask me for money for food. None of the children when they reached the age of 16 took a part time job (it would have reduced their food stamp benefits).

I have a difficult time knowing how to help yet feel like I am perpetuating a vicious cycle of spending money when it is there and asking for help when it runs out.

Any thoughts on this kind of situation? Am I complicit in enabling this woman in not learning how to manage her finances? Should I care how she spends her money? Is it possible for someone to become self-sufficient?

In response to the OPs question, I always thought that both charitable contributions to organizations and personal involvement were a winning duo.

MC

 

[ribozyme]

Individually and collectively. Give your time and treasure to organizations that help them. Choose a family to help.

There’s no shortage of poor people and no shortage of ways to help them.

What do you mean individually? I do not have enough money to make a significant difference. (When I compare myself to George Soros, I feel extremely inadequate.) Furthermore, I am agoraphobic and I find it hard to empathize with other people.

 

[Caesar517]

What do you mean individually? I do not have enough money to make a significant difference. (When I compare myself to George Soros, I feel extremely inadequate.) Furthermore, I am agoraphobic and I find it hard to empathize with other people.

:tsktsk: That’s not a good attitude! Few people have enough money to make a siginificant difference on their own. If everyone can make a personal donation from time to time, that seriously adds up. (This rerminds me of the “I won’t vote because my vote won’t matter” attitude.) Everyone has something they can give; time, care, knowledge, love, money, etc. What’s important is that we all do our best to make a personal donation (not just money) as best as we can.

 

[jmcrae]

At the beginning, I was eager to help and very generous. However, I have also seen some really bad decisions made and wonder what to say and do. For example, she regularly gets her nails done and regularly buys hair extensions to have her hair done.

Although this sounds frivolous, I am wondering whether she feels the need to keep up her appearance for the sake of her job.

Last year, with her tax refund check, she bought a new big screen tv to make it their 4th tv. She bought a dog.

The TV definitely seems frivolous, unless she is thinking of opening a multimedia company in her home. Did she have a good reason for needing a dog (ie: pest control, or security)?

Is it possible for someone to become self-sufficient?

Yes, but it’s not very easy.

 

[ribozyme]

:tsktsk: That’s not a good attitude! Few people have enough money to make a siginificant difference on their own. If everyone can make a personal donation from time to time, that seriously adds up. (This rerminds me of the “I won’t vote because my vote won’t matter” attitude.) Everyone has something they can give; time, care, knowledge, love, money, etc. What’s important is that we all do our best to make a personal donation (not just money) as best as we can.

What I could do to make a macroscale difference in the way Soros did? However, when I hear Jesus’ words; the poor will always have with you, it makes me ask what is the point when the problem seems so insurmountable.

I find it hard to talk to other people, especially strangers.

 

[Caesar517]

What I could do to make a macroscale difference in the way Soros did?

Not everyone has the ability (money) to cause macro-scale influences on their own. Most of us are called to be part of a joint effort that will cause a macro scale effect in the end, I think.

However, when I hear Jesus’ words; the poor will always have with you, it makes me ask what is the point when the problem seems so insurmountable.

Do not lose heart! Many problems seem insurmountable although they are not. I believe the two biggest ingredients that are necessary to fix the majority of the world’s problems is a lot of compassion and a little hope, even if our problems will never go away completely.

I find it hard to talk to other people, especially strangers.

Being somewhat introverted, I share some of that. However, I think having a disadvantage in certain areas gives you an advantage in others; the challenge is figuring out what those are. That’s what I feel my life is waiting on.

For the past two years, I have felt an uncanny desire to help others. When I see the problems in the world and the chance that God has given me to work toward making the world a better place, I feel that I can overcome any obstacle with His help. I’m just not sure which obstacle course I should be on.

 

[stinkcat_14]

Furthermore, I am agoraphobic and I find it hard to empathize with other people.

If you find it hard to emphathize with other people, why does it bother you that you cannot help people on a large scale, like you claim George Soros allegedly does?

 

[strngrnrth]

I’m thinking more of how an individual who is poor or near-poor by US standards (probably around average fro the rest of the developed world) can best help those whoa re totally poor – a woman I saw on TV who sold peanuts in Africa and couldn’t make enough money to afford ever to eat one of her own peanuts, despite a 72-hour workweek. She can’t just learn to fish; she is doing what is in demand in her economy. But resources are scarce. A small cup of dirty water one day, a couple of bites of dry sorghum the next, nothing the next, so she can pay rent on a spot on someone else’s scorpion-ridden dirt floor. What’s the most effective, efficient way someone who doesn’t hire people but struggles to hang onto work themselves, who has no spare room to rent out but lives in one room or two small rooms with guest restrictions, who has no money or time to fly to Africa and help out in person, you know, a normal first-world adult, maybe someone with kids and medical expenses, can make a big difference in the lives that need the most help? Is it government keeping all these people from their own resources? If so, what can someone so far away do about that? Is it lack of knowledge? Of what? And how can someone way over here teach anything to someone way over there? Why can’t we just put our extra clothes, food, medical supplies adn all that in a garbage bag and tie a note to it saying “please pass along to someone poor”? Well, because it wouldn’t get there. So out of all the programs and economic strategies, what has low to zero overhead, no chance of backfiring and proven power to change things?

 

[Oscarthecat]

What I could do to make a macroscale difference in the way Soros did? However, when I hear Jesus’ words; the poor will always have with you, it makes me ask what is the point when the problem seems so insurmountable.

I find it hard to talk to other people, especially strangers.

Well, if you’re referring to Soros’ history of macro-interference by insider trading and nearly collapsing the British Economy by trading against their currency resulting in forcing banks to close, and putting thousands out of jobs, then I hope you never make a difference in the way that Soros does. You should pick up a copy of “Do as I say, not as I do”- if only to read the chapter on Soros.

On the other hand, you can help others by donating your time and your resources directly to those in your community who are in need of help, or work with community organizations and churches who have more organized local efforts.

The most important thing you can do is be personally present to someone. By helping someone personally, you are creating a relationship with that person-you are showing them that they are valuable and important. For example, most “meals on wheels” programs emphasize that volunteers should take the time to talk with those they deliver food to-stay while they eat, listen to them, let them know that they have a connection to the world and that they are not alone.

George Soros doesn’t offer that kind of help- he just throws money at groups he thinks will ultimately leverage markets to his favor under the guise of philanthropy.