Community Chat

[shoekitty]

I look at giving as giving... I am pretty street wise about things, but don't avoid people who are asking on the street, when I  feel led. If a drunk asks I can tell the in his eyes the hurting. I give a few bux. I know what he will use it for.  Believe me, the lack of 2 or three bux isn't going to make him go clean, lol. It's the suffering.  However, there are some I don't give to, and I just am so compelled to give. 

[foxywoods]

I gave to a GFM once. I did not know these people. It was a donation for a family member who had experienced a heartbreaking tragedy and the fund far exceeded the sum that was asked for in donations. The person who received the $$$ hopefully made good use of it.

[ThinkingOutLoud]

I will never donate using that site for a few reasons. 

[jlkz]

I will order to from my college's wish list on Amz. for food and sanitary needs for their pantry for students in need.  The items are delivered directly to the admin. of the pantry and Amz.  charges my account.   Easy and quick.

I will contribute to certain non-profits that feed the hungry in different areas.

I will contribute to the annual Catholic Charities Appeals.

Go Fund Me....never, too fraught with fraud.

[lgfan]

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@Nancy Drew wrote:

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@lgfan wrote:

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@Nancy Drew wrote:

I gave for a Boy Scout to buy paint for his Eagle Scout project. That was a good one.

I gave to a family member who said they had no money to bury their husband. Found out they got an insurance policy. Not happy about that.

I gave to a childhood neighbor who went through breast cancer. Supposedly to pay for treatment.She posted more vacations that year than I went on in 2 years. Not happy about that one either.

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Maybe the insurance policy didn't cover the complete cost of the funeral.  Funerals are expensive.

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@lgfan It was a 250 thousand policy. And she knew it.

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I would ask for a refund.  It is ridiculous that she was asking for money with that huge payout of insurance.

[kitcat51]

I've given money to GoFundMe, all of them were in need so I happily gave what I could. Best Wishes to your friend @Zhills dealing with fire damage is stressful & expensive.

[shoekitty]

@KittySoftPaws , that's the kind of giving I think a person is led to do.  You just know  

[september]

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@JeanLouiseFinch wrote:

I think we all need to be diligent about participating because there can be scammers.  If we know someone in need we usually give directly to them.  I, for one, am grateful GFM exists, though.  Several years ago our daughter and son-in-love lost everything in an apartment fire.  It's a long story but they were lucky to be woken up and pulled out to safety.  They were almost left behind but two police officers defied orders.  Our kids had nothing except their cars, but no car keys.  They lost two cats.  Fortunately their dog was crated and a policeman carried her down to safety.  They received a $100 gift card from thr American Red Cross.  They received a few pieces  donated clothing but not enough.  They needed underwear, work clothes, work boots, new eye glasses, shoes, everything to furnish a new apartment. It was several thousands of dollars in expenses besides the cost of establishing a new lease, which they didn't have all of that.  We covered some things for them. A good friend started the GFM for them so they could get the rest.  They did not make anything in excess because they capped the fund at what they calculated their need to be.

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Similar story here.  My cousin and her husband lost their house in a fire.  Alrough they were insured, it's never enough to replace everything when you have nothing.  A relative set up a Go Fund Me for them, and it was a Godsend 

[Zhills]

No funerals. 

They are in different states!

[Tori3569]

I have given to many GFM accounts.  I've read certain stories about fraud, but haven't encountered any myself.  I feel very strongly about helping those less fortunate or those that have had a crisis, whether I know them personally or not.