ten things I have to get off my chest

1. Hurricane victims need help.
2. Those of us far away want to do something to help them.
3. Sometimes our good efforts can be misguided.
4. Collecting food and bottled water in a tractor trailer looks great on TV, especially if you have wrapped the truck with your radio station's banners.
5. The Executive Director of our local chapter of the American Red Cross says do not send water or other goods.
6. The "big three" charities (Red Cross, Salvation Army, United Way) all say that monetary donations are best.
   
7. The charities use the cash to buy needed items in bulk, getting a better value than whatever you paid for a 12 pack of bottled water at the grocery store.
8. Items purchased in bulk can be distributed more fairly. Who gets the half liter bottles you donated when the rest of the truck is full of one liter bottles?
9. If people can't get out of the afflicted area, how is your radio station's truck going to get in?
10. Some of us can tell the difference between a true fund raising effort and a sales promotion for a grocery store which is accepting food donations in their parking lot.