Comments on: One Year After

By: Bryan

Bryan — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 20:03:19 +0000

That’s the reason they’re on my sidebar. I send them money when there’s a disaster, because they will spend it on the disaster.

By: Badtux

Badtux — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 19:14:54 +0000

Indeed, I’m not a fan of the Salvation Army’s wonky religious beliefs, but they do ten times more than the American Red Cross ever does, every day. They walk the walk, they don’t just talk the talk. Whether you like their beliefs or not, ya gotta admire them for walking the walk.

-BT

By: Bryan

Bryan — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 14:31:09 +0000

That’s the only way you can judge the groups, by performance.

I know people in the local Red Cross, and my feeling is that they have become part of the governmental structure with all of the government’s problems. They have become more interested in raising money than providing service.

By: John B.

John B. — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 11:12:25 +0000

Absolutely right! On both points. The Salvation Army is stalwart when it comes to disaster relief. They were first out and last to leave on Pensacola Beach after Opal (’95), Georges (’98) and Ivan (’95). They came with needed water and food relief when most were without the means to get their own and were effectively trapped on the island. Whatever the Salvation Army’s religiosity, there was no prosyletizing — just humanitarian generosity.

By contrast, I am sorry to say, locally the American Red Cross has been a consistent embarassment after each and every disaster I’ve witnessed. They spend more time and energy soliciting donations from just-ravaged homeowners than they do offering to help. To be sure, some beach residents are wealthy; and after a couple of those storms a few Ebeneezer Scrooges on the beach may have been lucky enough not to need much help — they probably should have contributed something to help their neighbors — but it was bad form to say the best of it. It’s left a lasting disaste for the local American Red Cross with many.