Discussion thread: Quality charities and ways to give back.

[Nocturnal]

I've done pretty well the past year compared to many in the country and in accordance with that I'm aiming to ratchet up my charitable donations at a similar rate. (tax deduction is just a bonus) I figure this might be a good place to discuss great charities that you have found and other ways to give back, especially in a tax advantaged way. I like charities that have big impacts in easy to see ways.

Here are a couple of my favorites.

International Rescue Committee (IRC) They do a lot of work with refugees. I first found them during the Syrian refugee crisis. Very highly rated charity.

www.smiletrain.org is another great one. Each $500 donation goes to pay for a life changing cleft pallet surgery.

I also like my local food pantry harvesters.org/give-food and a small charity that focuses on providing diapers (and other aid) to single parents, www.happybottoms.org When I first had kids I was shocked with how expensive diapers were, then I realized that people with little money were paying 2-4x what I was per diaper because they couldn't buy in bulk. That leads to stretching diapers out longer and risks of infections and diaper rash. People are going hungry more than ever in America.

If you are like me you buy way too much junk on Amazon, so you can use smile.amazon.com and pick a charity you like. Then when you use that link on Amazon they give a percentage of your orders to that charity. The only catch is that you have to go to smile.amazon.com vs amazon.com. They will remind you here and there but it's not automatic.

I'm also toying with the idea of creating a non-profit. No idea what I'd focus on yet but I think I could donate to the org, take the tax deduction, and then dole out charity where it made sense, possibly while investing on behalf of the charity to make it grow even larger.

Other thoughts and suggestions are very welcome.

 

[KMCC]

I seem to recall awhile back there was someone on here whose wife ran a non profit in Africa that would seem like a good 1 to add to your list I don't remember who it was but maybe he will chime in here.

 

[pz1975]

I seem to recall awhile back there was someone on here whose wife ran a non profit in Africa that would seem like a good 1 to add to your list I don't remember who it was but maybe he will chime in here.

That is me. My wife is a dietitian and started a non-profit foundation called Stargold's Nutrition Foundation (Stargold is the main character is the children's books she has written to help teach health nutrition to kids). The Foundation is working towards providing healthy meals to undernourished children in Libreville, Gabon. So far, she has purchased a house there and the renovations are underway to convert it into having a large kitchen to make the meals and a place for some of the employees to live (all the employees are local and all the $ goes to the Foundation - she has 4 employees so far). We had a recipe contest here in BC for the meals - they will be a form of dosa (a healthy pancake) and uses only local ingredients in Gabon. There were lots of entries and the winner was chosen so the actual recipe is decided (it actually tastes really good).

I have been funding the Foundation myself so far (mostly using TSLA profits), but more donations would help for sure. Once things are established and optimized there, she plans to create the same thing in Rwanda and the Phillipines.

Here is the website: Stargold's Nutrition Foundation | Feeding Kids in Africa

Note that it isn't a registered charity yet - it takes a long time to get that designation in Canada.

 

[pz1975]

That is me. My wife is a dietitian and started a non-profit foundation called Stargold's Nutrition Foundation (Stargold is the main character is the children's books she has written to help teach health nutrition to kids). The Foundation is working towards providing healthy meals to undernourished children in Libreville, Gabon. So far, she has purchased a house there and the renovations are underway to convert it into having a large kitchen to make the meals and a place for some of the employees to live (all the employees are local and all the $ goes to the Foundation - she has 4 employees so far). We had a recipe contest here in BC for the meals - they will be a form of dosa (a healthy pancake) and uses only local ingredients in Gabon. There were lots of entries and the winner was chosen so the actual recipe is decided (it actually tastes really good).

I have been funding the Foundation myself so far (mostly using TSLA profits), but more donations would help for sure. Once things are established and optimized there, she plans to create the same thing in Rwanda and the Phillipines.

Here is the website: Stargold's Nutrition Foundation | Feeding Kids in Africa

Note that it isn't a registered charity yet - it takes a long time to get that designation in Canada.

Thanks to the 2 of you that donated to my wife's Foundation - very much appreciated!

 

[UnknownSoldier]

It's hard to go wrong with the local food bank. Most of them are always desperate for donations, they run lean and use almost all the funds on the food, and you're helping in a directly meaningful way because it's hard to imagine anything more important than being able to eat today.

To find your local food bank, just Google for it. Easy.