Giving Guideline - Disaster Recovery Efforts

Someone asked me the other day how much he should send to the disaster recovery organization of his choice. I resisted the urge to be flippant and declare the fair amount to be $4,265,732.48, although wouldn't it be great if we all had that kind of money and -could- send off that sort of funding!

Instead, I asked him to think about what he has in his own life and use that as a guideline. After talking awhile, he agreed. This is how things panned out:

Answer the following questions, and then add up the answers. Use the results as a minimum and grab your checkbook.


Do you have a place to live? Give $10, or 5% of your monthly rent.
Does it have a roof and walls? Add $20, or the price of two burgers and fries.
Do you have electricity? Add $20, or the cost of Starbucks coffee for a week.
Do you have running water? Add $10, or the price of a box of good bath salts.
Do you have a way to heat your house? Add $10, or the cost of wood for a weekend.

Do you have food to eat? Give $10, or the price of a pizza from your favorite parlor.
Do you have clothes to wear? Give $10, or the cost of a shirt at Wal-Mart.
Does your location have police services? Give $10, or the price of a ticket to the county fair.
Does it have fire department services? Give $10, or the price of a two breakfasts.

Do you have a job? Give $20, or the cost of a pack of copier paper
Does it pay more than minimum wage? Give $20, or the cost of a lunch for two.
Do you have a vehicle? Give $10 per vehicle, or the cost of a Saturday car wash.


That's $160 for most folks - more if you have more cars and pick-up trucks. That same $160 will feed a family of four for a week, and if we each give this amount, this will go a long ways toward getting the displaced Gulf Coast residents on a stable road to recovery.

If the idea of skipping a burger and fries lunch is distasteful, kindly think about the five days or so that many folks had to wait for food to arrive.

Can't envision going a week without your morning coffee? - consider how Louisiana fared without drinkable water for a week.