South Central Kentucky Chapter
Donations
The worst moments often bring out the best in people. Disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes often ignite an outpouring of generosity from individuals and communities who are moved to assist those whose lives have been affected. The images of devastation prompt many to respond by donating goods for the victims. Donations of goods and services, also known as in-kind donations, can be valuable resources on a relief effort. However, misguided in-kind donations can also have the effect of hampering the relief effort if inappropriate or excessive contributions arriving at the disaster site impede the distribution of priority items. To prevent such a situation, the American Red Cross is very careful about the types of in-kind donations it accepts. The information provided here is intended to provide you with some background on how in-kind donations fit into Red Cross disaster relief activities, and information about the most effective ways to help when disaster strikes. An important first step when thinking about donating goods to any relief agency is to determine what their policies are on in-kind donations, and ascertain whether they have a need, or the means, to accept your donation.
Money Matters
Financial donations to the Red Cross are the best way to assist victims of disaster. Monetary contributions enable the Red Cross to purchase the most urgently needed items as close to the disaster site as possible. Purchasing near the disaster site ensures supplies get to victims as quickly as possible, without delays and hefty transportation costs. Because communities hit by disasters generally experience significant economic loss, buying goods locally also helps to stimulate the weakened economy by pumping money back into area businesses.
You can make local contributions that remain in our community by making your check out to South Central Kentucky Chapter of the American Red Cross and by making a note on your check that says for local use only. Otherwise, if you want your funds to go to the National Office of the American Red Cross then address your check to American Red Cross. You can split your funds between the local office and National by making your check out to the local chapter and making a note on your check that you want so much to go to National.
Remember, we need your support so that we can help others in our local community.
Contributions can be mailed to the South Central Kentucky Chapter of the American Red Cross at 430 Center Street, Bowling Green, KY 42101.
Collections of Goods and Individual Items
Unsolicited, spontaneous donations of goods and services from individuals and community groups, though well intentioned, have hidden costs and pose a number of complications for relief efforts. For these reasons, the Red Cross is unable to accept any large collections of items, such as used clothing, furniture and toys. Nor are we able to accept small, individual donations of these items.
Why does the Red Cross discourage donations of collected goods and individual items for disaster relief?
Collections of items require valuable and scarce resources such as time, money, and personnel to sort, clean, and distribute them, which come at the expense of the emergency activities relief workers are attempting to perform. The Red Cross has neither the resources, nor the logistical set-up, to properly handle these types of donations, and therefore cannot accept them.
In addition, because we have no way of knowing what spontaneous individual donations or unsolicited collections of items will consist of, we cannot ensure there will be enough of a particular item to distribute it equitably, or if the donated products will even be appropriate for the relief effort.
Shipping donated goods is also costly and particularly difficult in the aftermath of a disaster, as inroads into disaster sites are often damaged or impassable, and easily clogged with shipments of non-priority items. The Red Cross makes every attempt to procure items locally to save money by minimizing transportation and storage costs. Local procurement also ensures that the items distributed to disaster victims are appropriate for their culture and diet.
Where can donations of collected goods and individual items be most effective?
Individual donations of goods and collections of items are put to their best possible use, and have the greatest impact economically, when they are donated to local charitable organizations within your own community. Donating locally eliminates transportation costs and ensures disaster workers are not overwhelmed with sorting unsolicited donations and are free to perform priority relief activities. Because these local agencies are not operating in the crisis environment that characterizes disaster relief, the charity will have the time sort, clean, and repair goods and identify how and where they can be most beneficial.