I had a relatively lighthearted post planned but after to waking to today’s news that over 50 people were murdered last night in the worse mass shooting in American history, it felt more appropriate to do something else. Additionally, there is a massive humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico and the United States government is failing our sisters and brothers. So here are some ideas for immediate, proactive action:
Donate blood. The American Red Cross provides information about where you can find local blood drives.
Puerto Rico needs cash donations. Do not donate household goods, they just further clog the supply chains. Here are some vetted charities you can donate to.
Additionally, call the President of the United States and your members of Congress and demand that the government get their act together and provide humanitarian and financial relief to Puerto Rico.
That’s a good place to start. I would love it if our readers would add further proactive actions people can take in the comment section.
May the Lord sustain and bless those who are hurting. And may we be His hands.
7 Responses
Amen.
What good is cash except to buy stuff? And how is that stuff supposed to get to Puerto Rico if the supply chains are clogged?
I’m going to assume you’re responding here in good faith. When I say “cash”, I mean a monetary donation given electronically. All of the charities I linked to have a place on their website where you can donate using a credit or debit card. It really should have been obvious that “cash” didn’t mean hard currency. I think it is also important to note that I didn’t just make the request up–people in charge of the on-the-ground relief operations specifically requested cash donations. Those donations are used by government officials, NGO’s and crisis response teams to assist in humanitarian efforts and disaster clean up. It may feel good to drop off some used clothes somewhere but the people on the ground have specifically said that they don’t need another box, they need money to fund the basic needs of an island in crisis.
1) There’s hardly a better way to cast doubt on whether someone is acting in good faith than to explicitly say you’re assuming they’re acting in good faith.
2) Cash vs Money is a distraction. Electronic funds also are of no use but to buy things.
3) Do these authorities requesting cash talk about clogged supply chains or do they talk about the fact that in-kind contributions are often a mismatch for what is really needed?
4) You’ll be happy to know that I have dropped off no used clothes somewhere but have donated 4 figures (to the left of the decimal point) to hurricane relief this fall.
Another thing to note is that cash can buy services. Cash can expedite the restoration of essential services like electricity.
Thanks for this post, mraynes. I think you’re spot on.
So you’re saying there are electrical workers sitting around doing nothing in Puerto Rico because there’s not enough money to pay for their services?
Or perhaps in Florida or New York or Minnesota, given enough money.
I don’t get your hostility. Are you saying you gave this money for hurricane relief and now you’re bitter about it?