Oklahoma
I am a fifth generation Texan. I have an inbred dislike of Oklahoma, born of college football rivalry.
Why doesn’t Texas slide into the Gulf of Mexico? Because Oklahoma sucks.
And right now, we have a small contest on who has the suckiest Senators – Texas or Oklahoma. Texas appears to be winning that one by a slight margin hardly worth mentioning.
I am a woman of faith so I am happy that people are praying. But they need more than prayer.
I am not a fan of the Red Cross. Maybe you are and that’s fine. But, if you want to donate a couple of buck to put prayer into action, there’s other places.
I have a friend who was helped by Americare and speaks very highly of them. Charity Navigator and the BBB give them high ratings.
The Salvation Army is there helping. Donate online or text STORM to 80888 to contribute $10 to the Salvation Army’s relief efforts.
Operation USA in Los Angeles is on the way.
Please check out charities through the Charity Navigator before donating.
If you know of any other reputable agencies, please let us know.
Such a crying shame that in addition to the plagues of Coburn and Inhofe poor Oklahoma also has to be afflicted with tornadoes from hell!
1Text FOOD to 32333 for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
2Good Info…Thx
3Thanks for pointing out the “charity scam”. When the CEO of a charity is paid millions, it leads one to believe that perhapsThey should be on the IRS’ WTF list.
4How wonderful for Coburn and Inhofe to sit safe, and snug in Washington D.C., and just not give a damn (sorry Momma) about their constituents in Oklahoma. I think our President just by-passed them and went straight to the Governor of Oklahoma, and to the Mayor of Moore, and said “We stand with you in prayer, and will follow that up with deeds”.
I always thought it was a “Texas” thing that some degree of “stupid” was one of the requirements to holding political office, but it’s all over These United States.
The attitude that “if it doesn’t affect me, it isn’t important” has become way too prevalent in our society, and I’d like to see it go the way of the horse and buggy. Like it or not, we are all in this together….. there is no PLANET “B”.
5Right now it’s time to help, but come election time this should be thrown in back in the faces of every legislator who opposed FEMA and other aid bills.
6http://www.operationbbqrelief.org/about/about-us
Not only feeding the stricken, but feeding them well.
Prayers go out to all affected.
7I forgot to add, from Operation BBQ Relief:
“***UPDATE*** Operation BBQ Relief will be deploying to Moore, OK tomorrow. Many of you have expressed interest in deploying. Please register at http://operationbbqrelief.org/contact/registration if you have not already done so. Please watch for more information including our location. We will post that once it is been determined. Please also do us a favor and share this post as we will need donations to help sustain the deployement. You can donate at http://www.operationbbqrelief.org/donate Thank you and continue to pray for those affected!”
8Blood. Give blood. Been off my pace lately, due to the shifting jobs and such here in OH-IO, but back in Chi-town I earned my 5-gallon pin donating every 8 weeks.
Tragedies like these always diminish the regional blood supply.
9Couldn’t help but send this.
My wife and I spent 5 months in Pearlington, MS running a volunteer (our time, our money) medical clinic after Katrina. My respect for the Salvation Army increased 10 fold, my respect for various church groups increased dramatically while my respect for the Red Cross fell to lower than zero. A bunch of self serving glory hogs. Put up the huge banners, take pictures, take down banners and go.
10We asked for some medical supplies, They offered us Kotex and Tylenol, but only if we filled out forms and sent pictures of us handing the stuff out with fliers saying the Red Cross donated this.
We needed meds, not Kotex.
In one episode that still burns me, a Red Cross worker proudly told us she tossed 200 sandwiches a local church group brought in to the shelter. Why? Because they might be poisoned, she said, you can’t trust these old ladies.
Red Cross, bah. I will donate to Sallies any day.
One group “helping” is Mercury One. While I don’t want the people in Moore to miss one scrap of help available, I’ll not be sending any money to Mercury One.
What is the relationship between Mercury One and Glenn and Tania Beck?
Mercury One is pleased to have Tania Beck as a member of the Board of Directors. And although Glenn Beck has no official position with Mercury One, he is by far our greatest advocate and spokesperson. Mercury One reflects Glenn’s belief in the individual, self-determination, free enterprise and the essential need for faith.
11I’ve been a United Methodist all my life and am proud that UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) commits all donations directly to relief activities. That is possible because Methodists, through our tithes, pay for the administrative end of UMCOR and other mission committees. At my church in Austin, the communion offering the first Sunday in May went to UMCOR for relief in West. UMCOR also has been on the ground in Granbury and is in Moore, as well. You don’t have to a Methodist to donate.
http://www.umcor.org/
For what it’s worth, my parents were Okies who got to Texas as soon as they could. Two of my cousins live in Oklahoma, and I’ve yet to hear from them. The cousins were present in Denton last week when my siblings and I celebrated the life of my Mother; I’m relieved Mother is not enduring this disaster. She, my father, and youngest brother survived the April 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls.
12Thanks, John in Lafayette, for pointing me to Operation BBQ Relief (why am I not familiar with them as I live here in the great BBQ state of North Carolina?). I just sent my donation to them to help out in Moore, OK.
Since I pass out when giving blood (sorry daChipster), this is a great way to help.
Now off to the Humane Society for the non-human side of things. . .
13austinhatlady- Thanks for mentioning UMCOR.
14This portion of their Mission Statement is relevant to current social issues:
~~
“Responding to natural or man-made disasters, UMCOR’s mission is to alleviate human suffering with open hearts to all religions and open doors to all people. UMCOR is a humanitarian, non-proselytizing agency of the United Methodist Church.”
I hear you all mad at the Red Cross, but where else does a person donate blood? I am a regular donor, though not a financial contributor. Is there an alternative?
15Snagged your post John and threw it up in FB – thanks.
16My mother has had nothing but contempt for the Red Cross since the 1950’s when she witnessed first hand how they treated flood victims in Humboldt Country CA and active duty soldiers who needed their help. The Salvation Army is a truly caring organization.
17Catholic Charities also has a good track record in spending the money as intended: https://ccokc.ejoinme.org/?tabid=406485
18My daughter worked in fund raising for 9 years and tells me the Red Cross (or United Way for that matter) is not the place to donate. She also has good words to say about the Salvation Army.
19People are the priority, but if you can, don’t forget about the animals. The Humane Society or a local animal shelter (in OK) could probably use a few dollars and some volunteers, too.
Here’s another charity folks can contribute to:
OKLAHOMA BAPTIST DISASTER RELIEF
Those interested in helping can make a tax-deductible donation to the BGCO’s Disaster Relief ministry, by visiting http://www.bgco.org/donate or calling (405) 942-3800. For photos, information and updates, visit the Oklahoma Baptists’ blog at http://www.okdisasterhelp.com.
Additionally, the American Legion is providing assistance, and donations can be provided via their website at http://www.legion.org/oklahomafund
20I bet Mobile Loaves and Fishes has someone on the ground in Oklahoma. I worked on one of the main routes into new Orleans after Katrina and these guys were the first ones going in after the first responders. You know when the gubmint was telling every one to stay away and it was inarguably chaos.
First were the guys with guns and grim faces. Second were these guys, sort of sweet and clean scrubbed with their bibles and their u-hauls full of oranges, water, food and whatever they could collect on the fly. I believe their response was “somebody needs this stuff and we are going to go find them.” I say if they are there (and I bet they are) give your money to them. Check out their other work with the homeless and indigent while you are at it. I’m no big fan of the conservative so called Christians but these guys walk the walk.
21Beyond that I lived just north of Beaumont during Ike and moved to Bastrop County just before the big fire nearly burned it down. The church groups of all stripes that showed up with no fanfare and meaningful support all earned my respect. The Red Cross and FEMA non at all.
Gene, I agree with you about Red Cross. I saw them in action here in Bastrop after the Labor Day fire. Aside from the hugh salaries their executives make, they do not support the disaster stricken community with the money they take in. When asked how the money that they took in in response to the Bastrop fire was going to be used, the answer was that they put it into a “general fund” and used it as needed. Oddly enough the need was not as great as the amount taken in. Plus, they were gone before the smell of smoke could dissipate.
22VeeGee, I don’t know about your area of the world, but in Central Texas, the Blood Center of Central Texas is the not-for-profit taking care of blood and tissue donation. For those in my area, you can find them at http://inyourhands.org. Looks like it was started in the 50s by the Travis County Medical Society. Don’t know what happens in other parts of the country.
One of the joys of the State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC) which allows state employees to donate pre-tax dollars to charity is that the literature available to us gives us the percentage of donations used for administrative costs. Occasionally they list UMCOR as a non-zero amount (which, as austinhatlady points out, is wrong) for administrative costs, but the percentage for the Heart of Texas Chapter of the Red Cross is an obscene 23% and the Panhandle’s is 24%. Low end, of those reporting, appears to be about 16%. These folks spend a LOT on advertising, let alone on their CEOs.
The only organization to which I give that has a substantial administrative cost (6.6%) is the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). Having known of folks who suffer from diseases of which there are only 5 or fewer cases in the world, this organization gets my money for support for research and advocacy for those who don’t suffer from a “popular” disease.
This won’t give you a complete listing of all charities, but it will give you a start for ones the State has already researched. Click on “enter searchable database” and search by charity name to get more information. You can also search by Campaign area and leave the other fields blank for a more complete list. It will be a real eye-opener.
All that said, I donate to UMCOR even above my SECC donation. They go every place the Red Cross goes; they just don’t get the press. According to our pastor, when the folks at the Red Cross booth saw UMCOR show up following the West disaster, they said, “Oh, thank God, you’re here!”
My Vietnam veteran friends give to Salvation Army instead of Red Cross, too. I won’t list all the reasons here. You can get the gist from earlier comments.
23SECC link is http://www.secctexas.org/organizations
24If you want to help the cats and dogs who are wounded and lost and missing, here’s the local humane group:
http://www.okhumane.org/blog/how-you-can-help-moore-tornado-damage
To donate money, look for “click here” in the text.
25Anyone who wants to contribute material goods to be sent to Moore might want to contact their local high schools. Many are organizing collections to be shipped north later on this week.
26Yeah UMCOR rocks. Every disaster season my little bride brings home a half dozen of their buckets to shop for and fill. Good grassroots stuff!
27As much as I enjoy Juanita Jean’s opinions about nearly everything, I must disagree about just Texas and Oklahoma having the worst brace of senators. On any given day, it is a THREE-WAY race to the bottom with TX, OK, or KY having an equal shot at fielding the most embarrassing team pulling their respective plow of state into the nearest leaching field.
28John
We always give to the Union for Reform Judaism. They check out the most efficient partners on the ground for any natural disaster. Website urj.org
29@VeeGee, Blood banks are loosely tied organizations, sharing in time of need.
30You Should be able to donate at your local hospital’s blood bank; they process it for longest ‘shelf life’. (Plasma, platelets, etc,) then it can be transported safely to other areas. It should be no different than donating to the Red Cross in your area.
A quick call to your local hospital will answer the question.
How the Red Cross spends money donated to it: 5 cents out of every dollar might go to actual victims in need. 95 cents goes to Administrative overhead.
Overhead includes six-figure salaries for the small army of parasitic fat cats up top, and all the money spent on giant advertising campaigns that make sure everyone thinks the Red Cross is saving humanity. Its all bull-puckies.
If you donate money to The Red Cross, 95% of your donation will go towards supporting the lifestyles of very wealthy people who live better than you could ever hope to live (financially, that is… spiritually, don’t worry, you are way ahead of those ethically bankrupt “non-profit”-scamming CEO’s).
Similar ratios go for The Humane Society, a similarly large organization with huge overhead and advertising budgets. Someone mentioned Hurricane Katrina in these comments. During that aftermath, the Humane Society advertised itself as the rescuer of abandoned animals, when in truth the HS bigwigs stayed inside air-conditions trailers sipping cool drinks while the real heroes were volunteers from small, independent animal rescue organizations. The small groups did heroically big work, while the HS claimed all the credit.
Remember that the next time you get a glossy mailer from the HS showing adorable kittens or puppies. Use that mailer as a reminder to get out your checkbook — and send a check to a small, independent, GENUINELY non-profit, volunteer-run animal rescue group in your area.
31Those who prefer to give through a secular organization, but also wish to avoid the Red Cross (which indeed is entirely secular) might consider the Humanist Crisis Response project of Foundation Beyond Belief. The project is supporting the disaster relief efforts of two organizations on the ground in Oklahoma, Operation USA and the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. Donations go directly to those organizations; Foundation Beyond Belief reveives no portion of donated funds. More information at: foundationbeyondbelief.org
32I do not doubt that the Salvation Army has a good track record helping with disasters, but there is that whole “homosexuality is a sin” thing that they have going for them as well. UMCOR is a good option, as is Week of Compassion the “aid” foundation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Donations to Week of Compassion should be marked specifically for Oklahoma Tornado Relief.
33Amen to Austinhatlady! every cent donated to UMCOR goes to
34relief of those suffering.
I hope no one there is trying to send “stuff” (used clothes and such). I have been told that most of that isn’t wanted by the intended recipients and so is often (I guess, depending on the organization) packed up and sent to Africa.
Send money where you see fit – good suggestions above – or if you want to send “stuff” find out what is wanted by the organization you want to give to. I heard requests for bottled water and gloves, for example, but don’t know if such is still needed. (I live in the next county, where there was also a tornado causing damage and deaths, though on a smaller scale). If anyone wants to volunteer, check with someone in the area before coming. There may be more people than are needed and the only way to know is to check BEFORE coming.
35The Salvation Army is anti-abortion and demands to be allowed to discriminate against gay men and lesbians in hiring, even when taking “faith-based initiative” tax money. Please consider supporting other helpful organizations instead.
36