Posted on 12/25/2012 3:35:16 PM PST by rlmorel
Over the years, my wife and I have taken this time of year to make donations to various organizations. My wife has generally chosen different avenues to help than I have (in the civilian sector locally) since I tend to choose organizations dedicated to helping the military (the exception being the Salvation Army) such as the Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society, The Wounded Warrior Project, etc. (I was a brat and served myself, so I prefer giving to those types of organizations)
One of the organizations I have given money to over the years is the USO, and for personal reasons, I have decided to contribute elsewhere.
Can any Freepers suggest any other organizations they have given to that do a good job of getting assistance to those who need it in our military community? I am particularly interested in those that have low overhead and pass a higher portion of donations on to those in need.
Wounded Warrior does some good stuff. They’ve also made some fairly recent anti-gun decisions though.
VFW-National Home for Children.
The Injured Marine Semper FI Fund, one of the top rated of all charities. Very low administrative costs, packed with caring volunteers. More of your contribution goes directly to helping the injured marines. I give to them each year.
Check out the following link. Has many to choose from.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=531
Operation Homefront Texas helps military service members and also the families of deployed troops with things like cash for rent/electric, food, school supplies, etc. My wife is on the board of directors of O/H TX. They do a lot to help directly versus going through a large organization.
Fisher House is excellent; you can select a location near you.
I wouldn’t give a penny to the WWP
They say no to guns because its controversial but throwing shindigs at the Playboy Mansion tell me that they are not friendly to my views and beliefs
SEALS.....
No they have not. They did not want to go onto a gun talk radio show because of the politics behind it. They did not want to be seen as promoting political agenda. They still sponsor shooting events and hunts for Wounded Warriors.
Wounded Warrior is pretty good, and as others have mentioned the Fisher House.
one more that was not on the list: http://www.operationfirstresponse.org/
it provides financial aid for living expenses. rent, school, utilities, etc.
The Navy Relief Fund. They help out sailors and Marines with everyday problems.
I don’t know if there is a specific organization but I am personally helping out some local elderly vets with housekeeping and running errands. I know there are a lot of younger vets that need help but there is really a huge aging population of vets and their spouses that need some day to day help. The trouble is they are to proud to ask for help and don’t want to bother anyone. Just simple tasks are getting hard for them and helping(or hiring help for them) with laundry or light housekeeping makes their life so much easier. Even dropping off a meal once a week is a great help.
I agree with Wounded Warrior. You could also donate to the Warrior and Family Support Centers that support the vets in rehab, which is less political than the parent organization.
Can you donate to the Salvation Army specifically for their services to help vets?
He's a conservative and backs conservative causes. He travels frequently to entertain the troops both overseas and stateside with his LT Dan Band.
He teams up with groups that build housing for soldiers who lost limbs and eyesight in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He seems to be one of the hollywood guys who GETS IT ! http://www.garysinisefoundation.org/
We give to Team Rubicon.... http://teamrubiconusa.org/
“Can you donate to the Salvation Army specifically for their services to help vets?”
I don’t know, you’d probably have to call and find out.
There are alot of people here who don’t like Wounded Warrior Project, but they helped out with my son. They got the VA off their ass, they helped us find ways to cope with the effects of my son’s brain injury, and helped him to feel some what normal again. I cant thank them enough for the help they have provided my family.
Not sure of their percent going to overhead but the USO lounges at the airports are a welcome oasis for troops and family. Our kids tell us they are always warmly welcomed and well treated.
As a brat, you may appreciate a faith based group
http://www.younglife.org/Military/
It gets ultra high reviews from the charity oversight community
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4791
I personally donate to them.
Yes, I’ve heard good things about the Fisher House as well.
I give to the USO.
I second that one. Team Rubicon, veteran first responders on the scene during natural disasters. Their most recent one was on the East Coast during Hurricane Sandy. Great choice.
Most military bases will have an office for assisting enlisted. Donate directly to the base. I went down the road of trying to find a private organization. Some are good but many are scams. Our group hired a bus and took them to a county fair’ then out for about more fun on the way back.
Many are away from home for the first time and pretty much stuck on base. The officer in charge came up with the idea. It was a good time by all
DAV is my choice several times during the year. Got a lot of calendars from them.
Yes, the Semper Fi fund is good. We also received help from Fisher House, Marine Corps assistance league, and Homes for our Troops, based in Taunton, CT but builds homes all over the country for injured vets.
Yes, the Semper Fi fund is good. We also received help from Fisher House, Marine Corps assistance league, and Homes for our Troops, based in Taunton, MA but builds homes all over the country for injured vets.
Fisher Houseis my charity .....They do a lot of good for the wounded warriors and their families.
Fisher Houseis my charity .....They do a lot of good for the wounded warriors and their families.
Don’t forget the Salvation Army.
secular - Fisher House- http://www.fisherhouse.org/
They help provide free to low cost lodging to the families of the wounded .
secular - Soldier’s Angels -http://www.soldiersangels.org/
They do all kinds of things from care packages to providing voice activated laptop computers to wounded warriors
Christian - Samaritan’s Purse Operation Heal our Patriots
https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/Project_Donations/
This ministry of Samaritans Purse works with injured U.S. service members and their spouses to try to build strong marriages (lots of hardships come with combat injuries and the sad truth is many of these marriages don’t last without help )
Thanks to everyone. This has helped me a lot. I will continue to donate to the Wounded Warrior Project, as my gut tells me the issue with guns was somewhat distorted, and I know from personal experience (having met some folks associate with it) that they do good things. I think I am going to give to the Semper Fi fund and the Fisher House instead of the USO.
Just a note, I didn’t really want to talk about the USO, because it is likely that my reasons would seem petty to some, and would would likely derail the advice I was looking for. If you are someone who gives the USO, I don’t view that in a negative way...you are giving, and I think they do some good things as a few of you pointed out. I just have personal reasons, and I know there are alternatives.
So, thank you to all of you for your advice. This is a great community on here, and I wish all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year...:)
I think the world of the Salvation Army, and I cannot pass a ringer without contributing. I also have some personal experience with them through a relative who was in need, and the contrast between the approach the Red Cross took versus the approach the Salvation Army took was significant in every way, materially, emotionally, you name it.
I give to them every year as well. Not a dime for the Red Cross.
Them too, South40. The only times in my life I have wished I had a motorcycle was through my interactions with the Patriot Guard Riders (which I have had a few of during my visits to DC and even up here in the PRM.)
I love what they do, and how they do it.
Neither my wife or I will never donate money to the Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society. All they do is encourage bad behavior by taking the money from responsible Marines and then they hand it over to the most irresponsible Marines.
Well, I think I can understand that point of view...I don’t see that from where I am at right now, but you sound like you see it and I can see how that would make you feel about it.
I think that is the nature of some relief of this kind, and even though some people do stupid things and can’t manage to save money from one payday to the next, I think some are just stretched tight to begin with.
In this case, I suppose I take the good with the bad. My mom was involved in the organization when we were kids, so I have always felt a connection and enjoyed giving to them.
I tend to lump it into the same category as the Fraternal Order of Police/Firefighters, which are union "charities."
Give to VFW or others with better track records so you aren't wasting your hard earned money.
Thanks, zerosix, I appreciate the insight.
Same here
They helped me replace an engine in my car once. And gave me money when someone stole my wallet on payday.
I soured on the Red Cross a long, long time ago. It was the whole United Way thing that really got my goat.
I regularly put 100+ miles in one way for missions. It is well worth it to honor our vets, our active duty troops and to ride with the Vietnam and other vets who I ride with.
If I may recommend an organization started right here of FR. The Silver Star Families of America support the wounded, ill, injured and dying of our Armed Forces from all wars.
And over 96 percent of every dollar goes to the vets.
No wages, no meeting.
Just hard work for the vets
silverstarfamilies.org
I know of 2:
TAPS - Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors that helps the families of military who die during the time they are in service;
Homes for Our Troops.org - builds handicapped accessible homes for troops all over the US. Everything is donated and the home is given free and clear. They are truly beautiful! And, the community gets involved in the building of the home and the welcome home party to give the key to the service member.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.