Please permit me to go just a bit off-topic today, taking a look at how to make meaningful donations after your area goes through a natural disaster.
Hurricanes, flooding, forest fires, tropical storms, and tornadoes occur during the summer and autumn seasons. Indeed, each event is tragic. Of course, you want to do your part to help others. But perhaps you have some hesitancy to do so.
Understandable.
For many kind-hearted people, it boils down to one thing–not knowing how to help. Or not knowing what to donate. You might wonder what items are essential, especially in the first days following such a tragic event.
And if you donated in the past, you know that just after these types of emergencies, many agencies start to text, call, and email you for donations. What to do, what to do?
An Eye-opening Experience, and the Value of Making Meaningful Donations
Last summer, a tornado tore through my area, displacing over twenty families in a matter of minutes. Worse was the loss of life, including one lady who graduated with my husband. This event hit so close to our house. The tornado warning only went off once it touched down, giving people zero notice to take cover–in the middle of the night.
I was always under the assumption that people need food–and I always donate to canned food drives whenever the need arises. However, the first agencies on the ground after the tornado clearly explained that food was not the most pressing request. That’s because many of these neighbors were being rehoused by FEMA in either motel rooms in a nearby county or FEMA campers and trailers–with very little room for storing pantry items.
Getting so close to the situation, I realized how many people lost everything but the clothes on their backs. And the same goes for people who evacuate on short notice when they are in the line of a wildfire, hurricane, or similar emergency.
What Are the Most Meaningful Donations You Can Make?
This infographic explains the items that make the most meaningful donations you can offer in such a time of great need.
And here is a quick video explaining the reasons why these are such essential items to consider donating to those in need:
She has a B.S.Ed. in Secondary Education/English and a Spanish Minor. In addition, she holds a Certificate in Natural Health from a fully-accredited program and is a Certified Herbologist. She pursued these natural wellness certifications due to her love for herb gardening.
Despite freelancing to make a living, her love is "all things home."
Deborah grew up in a family that grew a large vegetable garden and a fruit orchard, helping her parents pull weeds and can home-grown foods as part of her childhood. In fact, she had no idea that she could purchase veggies and fruits in pre-packed steel cans until she went to college and made a food run.
Today, she lives in Bertie County, North Carolina, an agricultural rural area with more chickens than people. She lives with her husband and two rescue pets a sweet toy fox terrier and a cat who showed up one day and moved into the house. Together, they enjoy DIY projects, furniture refinishing, gardening, and canning.
