The Salvation Army

The mission statement: "The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination."

The Salvation Army has many programs to help people and they do not discriminate. Some of their programs include Youth Camps, Disaster Relief, Adult Rehabilitation, Christmas Charity, and Elderly Services among others. They also offer many ways to help out.

One way to help is my a simple donation. This donation could be a cash amount, but you can also donate United Airlines Frequent Flyer Miles. You can also donate clothing, appliances, household objects, and even cars among other things (and remember cash donations and these items are all tax-deductable!). Finally, you can donate your time. Probably the most well known of these volunteering opprotunities would be ringing the bells for donations. But you can also get a group of people together (say, maybe your church, co-workers, family, or just a group of friends who want to help out) and serve a meal at your local Salvation Army. I've done this multiple times, and it doesn't take as many people to do it, but the more the marrier! In fact, we served Thanksgiving lunch with only twelve people. It's really not hard to do good. And remember: I feel it is a misconception about the Salvation Army during the holidays. It runs all year, and they can always use volunteers!

Shop Against Hunger

Shop Against Hunger is a sight with links to a TON of different online retailers. By shopping on Shop Against Hunger, you can fill "red cups," a different number being filled depending on the retailer and how much you spend. "The red cup symbolizes WFP’s efforts to provide school meals to children around the world who often don’t get food anywhere else. If you keep in mind that one cup represents a nutritious meal of beans or porridge for a child, you will quickly see what a difference you are making through the Shop Against Hunger!"
According to their FAQ's,
"The Shop Against Hunger is a one-stop site with all your favorite online stores and lots of amazing deals. It’s a quick and easy way to do all of your holiday shopping and make a difference in the fight against hunger at the same time!" and "With every purchase you make through the Shop Against Hunger, a donation will be made to the World Food Programme, at no extra cost to you!"
"The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. WFP is on the ground in 74 countries feeding men, women, and children through emergency food relief, school meals programs, mother-child nutrition centers, and many other programs. Every donation, every cent is critical because the WFP relies solely on voluntary contributions."

FreeRice

FreeRice is a website run by the United Nations World Food Program to help fight world hunger. In addition to helping people all over the world, FreeRice was built to help improve vocabulary (and now other subjects, too). For every word (or country, math problem, translation, etc.) you get correct, ten grains of rice is donated with the help of FreeRice's sponsors. And now, you can take it even farther you can download the FreeRice Toolbar and, with ten legitimate searches, you donate an extra 5,000 grains of rice per day! According to FreeRice's FAQ's,
"The rice you donate makes a huge difference to the person who receives it.

According to the United Nations, a child dies every 6 seconds from hunger related causes.

Though 10 grains of rice may seem like a small amount, it is important to remember that while you are playing, so are thousands of other people at the same time. It is everyone together that makes the difference. Thanks to you, FreeRice has generated enough rice to feed millions of people since it started in October 2007."

TOMS Shoes

According to the TOMS Shoes website, "TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what we're all about." And that's just what it does. For every pair of TOMS Shoes you buy (and now some other stuff, too) TOMS donates one pair of shoes to a child in need (maybe in Ethiopia). Think about it! In addition to getting a good feeling for helping a child who's family cannot buy them shoes, you also get an awesome pair of shoes (and with Christmas coming up, they make great gifts). But why shoes? According to TOMS Our Movement page,
"Most children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or just getting around, these children are at risk.

Walking is often the primary mode of transportation in developing countries. Children can walk for miles to get food, water, shelter and medical help. Wearing shoes literally enables them to walk distances that aren't possible barefoot.

Wearing shoes prevents feet from getting cuts and sores on unsafe roads and from contaminated soil. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected. The leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted parasites which penetrate the skin through open sores. Wearing shoes can prevent this and the risk of amputation.

Many times children can't attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don't have shoes, they don't go to school. If they don't receive an education, they don't have the opportunity to realize their potential.

There is one simple solution...SHOES.

Of the planet's six billion people, four billion live in conditions inconceivable to many. Lets take a step towards a better tomorrow."

Help Humanity

The mission of this blog is to inform people of the great organizations and foundations out there. It is also to try to get more people involved in some of those foundations and organizations.
Here, most of my posts will be about charities. Some will be about opportunity. Some will be stories of my experiences (think, inspiration). But, I'm not perfect. I'm not saying I donate my time everyday or anything like that, and I may miss some very important charities. If you have any ideas, just comment on this post.

Thanks for reading!