The issue with most of these things is that they just aren't very useful. Some of them cost huge amounts of money (like being transported to another country to help disaster victims) and have very little impact per dollar.
Effect per dollar, or hour, is the most important thing to consider with charities.
http://www.animalcharityevaluators.org/ ... statement/
http://www.animalcharityevaluators.org/ ... charities/
Helping non-human animals is currently the most cost effective way to help humans and non-humans alike, due to the deleterious effects of animal agriculture on the environment, and the very low cost and time investment of that kind of advocacy.
Unfortunately, there are more political barriers, infrastructure barriers, and distance barriers to helping humans.
boyjenius wrote:
i meant like a can food drive
This, unfortunately, may be counterproductive, depending on the food that is collected. Because these items are bought, it reduces waste pretty much not at all. Monetary donations would be more useful. Canned food is also rather environmentally poor (and in terms of dollar per person fed, also inefficient).
Food not bombs has the right idea.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_Not_Bombs
They go around to grocery stores, sometimes with requests for old food, sometimes with bolt cutters, and take food out of the dumpsters (or soon to be dumpstered food) to feed the homeless.
They can get huge amounts of food this way for free, it prevents waste, and feeds people.
They also risk arrest doing so, and even just in feeding people. Apparently it's a crime in some areas to dare feed the homeless and hungry. Those are the kinds of arrests that many people wear as badges of honor; it's up to you if that's a situation you want to risk.
If you want to help people locally -- and I mean
really help them -- you pretty much have to come to terms with the fact you'll probably be arrested now and then, and spend a few weeks in county jail.
boyjenius wrote:
or cleaning up a park
Not sure what cleaning up parks is useful for. Can you explain what you mean?
Cleaning up parks is usually more PR, because of the visibility, than effective.
boyjenius wrote:
or possibly organizing an event myself.
That would be a great option. The non-profit section is very much in need of organizers.
boyjenius wrote:
how is it people get shipped to other countries to help tsunami and earthquake victims ?
Usually they pay for it themselves, which is a huge waste of money on transportation, that creates a volunteer who can't do very much (it would have been better to give money, and then hire somebody local to do the job which would be way cheaper and provide a job to somebody).
The problem, of course, with any of these charities is corruption and waste.
Keep your activity as local as possible, to reduce waste and corruption by allowing you to oversee it personally.
boyjenius wrote:
i already donate blood to the red cross every chance i get, i want to help out more. i know i can do more.
Go to some grocery stores at night. Check their dumpsters. See if they're locked, or not. If they're unlocked, that's easy; just open them up, and take the food. If they're locked, you will have to damage property and that's a crime; consider carefully if you want to risk that.
Then prepare it in your kitchen, and take it to a place in your city where you know there is a large homeless population. Bring a couple friends to help give out the food. Take pictures. Make a blog.
Now, post links and ask more people to join. Local groups, facebook, craigslist, etc.
More people will come to your house to help you cook, and help you get food from grocery stores.
Go to news outlets too; they may be interested in covering the story as a fluff piece, and it will attract more volunteers and give you more credibility.
Now that you can prove you've fed homeless with pictures, you can also ask grocery stores for donations of nearly expired food.
Tell them if they don't have it sorted out already, you'll help find food yourself that's expiring within a day, and bring it to the front for them to check. Maybe you can do it near closing time, so they don't risk losing any money. It also saves them money on stocking, since they can see what's expiring.
Food not bombs would be able to give you better advice and guidance on this on what methods of working with stores is most useful.
Alternatively, you can try handing out fliers/information leaflets locally. Go to a local health food store, and stand outside giving people material to read. Or just a busy street corner (make sure you don't interrupt the flow of traffic). This is a very cost effective form of public education, and lower risk of arrest. You can also accept donations as you do so. Make sure to work with a non-profit and give the donations to them, so people can get tax deductions on them.
