With Thanksgiving less than a week away, food banks are struggling to figure out how to keep up with the need for donations this time of year. In some areas of New York and New Jersey thousands of people remain out of their homes in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. All too often, as the news cameras leave, the donations sometimes slow down.
How can you help? Perhaps you’ve thought, “I’ll buy a few extra items while I’m grocery shopping†but never do because you don’t know where to take them. Maybe you simply don’t have the time or can’t get to a shelter.
A start-up called YouGiveGoods is hoping to remove that barrier and get more items flowing to those in need. You simply go to the site, pick the area or drive you want to assist, and purchase what’s needed from the comfort of your warm home.
If you want to donate directly to Sandy victims, you can go to the Sandy page and choose from dozens of organizations and drives already set up.
Click on any food drive to learn more about it, who the organizers are, and what they’re in need of. You can then click on items like tomato sauce, chicken noodle soup, macaroni and cheese and much more. Some are looking for blankets and home items. Decide how many of each item you want to buy, enter your payment info and the purchase is made.
What’s nice about this is you get to choose whatever drive you want to support; it can even be a food bank in a certain location, say, your hometown, or your college town. The organizations benefit from the social aspect of it, and being seen by a larger group of potential donors.
Check out the video above for more info on how you can donate and let us know if this online solution will make you more likely to donate to those in need.
Image courtesy of Bread for the City
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