‘Tis the Season of Giving. And that means tons of snail mail from all kinds of charitable organizations. Everyone wants of piece of your generosity. I haven’t even heard of half these organizations – Endangered seahorses? Home-bound elderly folk who want more rap to listen to? I’ve got a lifetime supply of ‘free with a side of guilt’ mailing labels.

My wife already has her list of organizations she plans to give to: 4-H, and her alma mater. Me, I was never very attached to my school nor their sports teams. Last year I gave to Modest Needs. So, I’m opening it up to you all for some suggestions, just leave a comment and I’ll check them out.

My have I been out of the loop. The damage done by Hurricane Katrina is much worse than I had thought. I don’t like to preach, so here are some links to learn more if you wish:

– FreeMoneyFinance is matching donations up to $1,000. You can donate anywhere you’d like, just e-mail him where and how much.
– If you are a blogger, you can join the Hurricane Katrina: Blog for Relief Day. If not, try the Katrina Help Wiki.
– My charity of choice is ModestNeeds.org.

ModestNeeds.org is a non-profit 501(c) charity, operating predominanlty online, with a goal of helping people who live paycheck to paycheck survive past life’s unexpected speed-bumps and perhaps save them from a slippery slope to financial ruin or even homelessness. Most of their “grants” are less than $300 and go for things like unexpected medical bills. Much of it is based on the honor system, and all the money flow is very transparent and shown online. The neat thing is that it started (and continues) with a teacher giving 10% of his salary to others in need.

Instead of the $5 suggested monthly pledge, I only gave a one-time $20, but I thought I’d spread the word a bit as well. Happy Holidays!