What are your views about charity?

I am and have been on both the giving and receiving end of charity, and both are fine by me. I'm a fan of karma, and what goes around comes around, and of giving and taking. I give when I can, and I take when I need. And so the cycle continues. It's all good. :) The charity I give to the most is the Diabetes Association. They will come to my home to pick up unwanted clothing and household goods, and then sell them to "Value Village". I also donate to an organization called "Bereaved Families of Ontario", a place where I am also a member. And of course, I shop at Value Village when I can too.

If you consider the provisions that the National Guard give out after a hurricane then we've been on the receiving end of charity. We've been through several bad storms and, although we have a supply of bottled water, a gas grill and a variety of food, we've always needed ice & additional water so we've been in line with everyone else. We've taken the MRE's...usually we had no choice since it's been an assembly line where things are tossed into the bed of your truck or your trunk. On the second morning after Hurricane Wilma, members of our church stopped by with hot breakfasts for everyone and at first we tried to refuse to take them but were told that it would go to waste since they prepared these meals based on the number of members, so we took them with much thanks. I've been putting a little bit more in the plate when it's passed around during Sunday services ever since because that effort was so thoughtful and touching.

Its very important to support charities as much as possible. I donate clothings and household items. I also think as important as the larger charities are , that its good to remember the food banks. They really need all the support that they can get!