cblevins Posted May 2, 2012 Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 http://www.wave3.com/story/17796924/donations-meant-for-tornado-victims-end-up-for-sale-in-thrift-store This was such a shame!!!!! It has been all over the news here, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delld Posted May 2, 2012 Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 This will make me stop and think before I give my quilts to an organization like the RED CROSS. I know that the Red Cross has always WANTED MONEY! Maybe I need to say more. The money is then used to purchase needed items as clothing, shelter or food. They really don't have the staff to sort the tons of donations that are given to them. I praise the Red Cross for the work they do. What would we do without them! Sadly our world is not perfect and mistakes happen and I thank God for every gift that is given to one in need! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queenie123 Posted May 2, 2012 Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 Our family suffered a major house fire ,we lost a five year old twin daughter back in 1993 along with everything else ,we found tempory shelter at a friends home who worked out of town ,we had three surviving children left ,well to make a long story short ,donations were being dropped off to us so fast that we were forced to keep what we could use and keep the donations flowing back out of the home into other donation centers ,I remember I had never been so tired in my life going through garbage bags of clothes finding sizes to fit our family .There was one special clear bag labeled to our family from a local church that had homemade quilt in it ,it brought a smile to my face ,it was new ,the first new item to be donated to our family ,it meant the world to me so I tucked it away to be used when we find a new home ,to make a long story short there were so many people helping us that it was stolen ,guess with all the items moving in and out that nobody would think it would be missed ,well I still miss it to this very day . As far as our local redcross all they had was 100.00 for me to go buy funeral clothes for five surviving people in our family to bury our daughter ,and I squeezed a pink ruffled night gown and ruffle top socks to dress her despite the fact it was a closed casket so thats my thoughts about the REDCROSS . This has been heavily on my mind ever since I have decided to buy a milli ,my very first quilt will be hand delivered by me to the next unfortuante family that falls victom to a home fire in our local area because I know for a fact how much comfort they can bring . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaLKB Posted May 2, 2012 Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 That really stinks ! I've heard some "not so good" reports about Red Cross over the years. I am sending this along to all in our quilt group and we will be very careful who and where we send quilts to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted May 2, 2012 Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 That is really sad. Queenie I can't even imagine your pain and I'm so sorry. So thoughtful of you to donate your first quilt! Somebody will surely cherish it. It is so sad that there are those in our society that are greedy and think only of themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg Posted May 2, 2012 Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 Originally posted by queenie123 Our family suffered a major house fire ,we lost a five year old twin daughter back in 1993 along with everything else ,we found tempory shelter at a friends home who worked out of town ,we had three surviving children left ,well to make a long story short ,donations were being dropped off to us so fast that we were forced to keep what we could use and keep the donations flowing back out of the home into other donation centers ,I remember I had never been so tired in my life going through garbage bags of clothes finding sizes to fit our family .There was one special clear bag labeled to our family from a local church that had homemade quilt in it ,it brought a smile to my face ,it was new ,the first new item to be donated to our family ,it meant the world to me so I tucked it away to be used when we find a new home ,to make a long story short there were so many people helping us that it was stolen ,guess with all the items moving in and out that nobody would think it would be missed ,well I still miss it to this very day . As far as our local redcross all they had was 100.00 for me to go buy funeral clothes for five surviving people in our family to bury our daughter ,and I squeezed a pink ruffled night gown and ruffle top socks to dress her despite the fact it was a closed casket so thats my thoughts about the REDCROSS . This has been heavily on my mind ever since I have decided to buy a milli ,my very first quilt will be hand delivered by me to the next unfortuante family that falls victom to a home fire in our local area because I know for a fact how much comfort they can bring . heartbreaking for you, queenie. all of it. your enormous loss, and the smaller losses that followed. i'm so very sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cblevins Posted May 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Angie, the Red Cross acknowledged sending them to the thrift store. I believe the mistake happened when the Red Cross worker that accepted them promised to get them to the victims. In our area at least, they don't do that. They sent everything to the thrift and Goodwill stores and then passed out vouchers to the victims. The problem is that anyone walking in off the street could have bought the quilts for $50, not just victims with vouchers. Donating them to the churches may have been a better way to insure that the victims got them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cblevins Posted May 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 To be fair to the Red Cross, I believe they were swamped with donations immediately after the tornadoes because the roads were shut down to the areas for about a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda G. Craig Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Queenie, I too am so very sorry to hear of your loss. What a terrible tragedy to endure. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I can imagine how very special your quilt will be and what will represent to the receiving family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmquilt Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 This has happened in a quilt group I was in. I believe the quilts were donated to a hospital and they were found in the thrift shop. It's not just large organizations that have to many donations. Michele Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginnysnowden Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 I have had a sour experience with the Red Cross, when My first husband and I set up housekeeping we lost our home to a flood. The Red Cross was there to help. We had to pay for our food and any other thing we received. When the Salvation Army arrived we were actually helped. I donat to the Salvation Army every Year since. Ginny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynne in Iowa Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 It is best to save quilt donations for several months after a disaster and then go thru a smaller local organization that can get them to the people they were truly meant for. In the first few weeks, basic survival needs are priority and cash is generally what survivors need. Until you are settled into a semipermanent living arrangement, the extra "stuff" no matter how well intentioned is really just in the way. It means so much more to them several months later to know that someone is still thinking about them as they start to settle in a new normal. The scars from a tragedy of this sort last forever, they fade, but never truly go away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-Jane Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 I always try to find a bright spot in everything. Could they possibly have been sold to the thrift shop and the money used for medical supplies or something? At this point one could only hope. On the other hand there is the issue of bailment. That's when you keep a friends car overnight, borrow something, donate, etc..., you are suppose to keep it in good care and use it for its intended purpose! If a shady volunteer did this I think there is some recourse. Notify the local authorities and they should at least investigate according to your states laws! Theft is theft and fraud is fraud also. If nothing else they'll be put on notice that someone is watching and you may stop this from happening to someone else. Hopefully you wouldn't open a can of worms and get more involved than you care to be. Or do as everyone suggests, just be more diligent in your endeavors to help--you're heart is in the right place! We love you for what you did!!!!!!!!!! I do a lot of Q.O.V's, 4-H, Alzheimer, cancer, severe loss, special needs quilts and I usually find some one who is responsible and gives me their name and address & phone# or they will find someone willing to do so. Take Care----grasshopper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy2018 Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 First: Queenie I'm so very sorry your family experienced this Second: I know that the system for helping people in need , from natural disasters, to fires, etc. has changed quite a lot in the last years. In years past much of the aid was very , very , local. The local towns people knew their inhabitants and with need, helped out, through church or civic charities. Local charities, run by local people, who were "watched" by their neighbors. I personally think it kept most people very responsible and also kept donations to things that were really needed. Now days it is truly different. Charities are sometimes multi-million dollar entities, with no local ties. They have no idea what is needed, where it should go, and no one watching. Yes money is needed, but that too brings the risk of theft. In some areas, people mistakenly think donating clothing will help, huge problems washing, wrong sizes, wrong suitability, storage in clean places, and of course, some people think cleaning out their closet is OK because victims should be glad of anything.... Organizations can get too big, too prone to mismanagement.... I see positive things come from many sources, most of the time it really depends on WHO is out there being responsible for things, and of course, many more people might be more prepared for natural disasters...(have some savings, be a bit less dependent on others for help) .I feel strongly about local people helping local people. Food banks are some of the most helpful community charities ... To be truly helpful, I need to be involved , and listen to what is really needed. I do believe most people like to have the person helping them be someone they know or can relate to. I applaud any one helping in any capacity, but especially like the local volunteers who work all year, without public praise, just listening....and doing..... Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB Posted May 4, 2012 Report Share Posted May 4, 2012 Wow, That is really sad. These quilts were donated for the victims and now the victims can go and "buy" them??? I hope the vouchers cover the cost but it doesn't look like it does. Queenie, I am so sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine the pain you went through loosing your child and then to be violated by having some one steal from you and your family is just horrible. It must have been a wonderful quilt if you still remember it. Dianne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sspingler Posted May 4, 2012 Report Share Posted May 4, 2012 I am so sorry for your loss Queenie. I for one refuse to donate to the Red Cross. I have a friend that worked for them and she told me that when they come out to help, even in a disaster, you have to sign a statement that you will repay them. And you donate blood to them and they turn around and sell it......30 years ago it was $179 a pint so I'm sure it's much more now. After the fire in Texas, I sent 4 quilts to a friend and she hand delivered them to people in the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queenie123 Posted May 4, 2012 Report Share Posted May 4, 2012 I have my youngest son donating blood to the RED CROSS as a pre-caution ,I have hemocromatosis ,an iron overload dis-order ,its hereditary but most insurances will not pay for treatment because it falls in the pre-existing medical condition catagory so the only treatment is phelbotomy which is nothing more than donating a pint of blood . I use to donate blood before I was diagnosed ,now its just tossed to burn ,the nurses even say its so sad but they are passing new laws now to save our iron enriched blood ,.......but I push my son to donate by bragging about the new vacations the RED CROSS raffles off to the donors ,I am talkin bout Hawiaan vacations they give away ,they even send him postal reminders each time they come into town ,then two weeks ago they sent him a fancy plastic card to put in his wallet ,its all good . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted May 4, 2012 Report Share Posted May 4, 2012 WHY in HECK should the victims use their valuable scripts to buy quilts donated and to be free of charge, when they probably need other things like food, clothing etc. more than a quilt. Makes me sick. Even reading the article and the posts, I'm apalled that anyone, Red Cross or not, would charge already devastated folks for anything supposedly given free. Pop Fergusson worked in the Red Cross several years. Then after asking many times, he was given a financial report of income and outgo of the donations. He found out that the largest part of the income went to paying the higher ups, then less amounts to those officials up there but not all the way, very little went to those needing help. He quit that job. I have said when giving quilts to disaster victims, we need to find a local group who can see they are given directly to those affected. I'm saddened to say, our guild did nothing when the tornado went throrough Sanford. I had nothing in the quilt line to give, and going thru medical problems. By the way, the tornado was on the TV last night on National Geographics. Was very interesting and so scary to watch. Not much about Sanford was in the news at that time, as Raleigh was also hit.. that's where our news comes from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammi357 Posted May 7, 2012 Report Share Posted May 7, 2012 http://www.charitywatch.org/ This is a link for a watchdog group. Please note that it is a dot org and not a dot com. If anyone is considering a donation, ask the group what their pass-through percentage is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.