Donate Your Stimulus Check?
Where to Donate Your Stimulus Check
If you find that the $600 stimulus check isn’t needed, maybe turn it over to someone who really does.
In December, when former President Trump eventually signed the $900 billion Covid-19 relief package, I was first pleased and then (to be brutally honest) disgusted. At the expense of the staggering growing number of unemployed, what could have been a useful and much-needed additional assistance to them, instead deteriorated to a $600 offering to most every American who is not already doing very well economically.
The United States, and the world, have been in a pandemic for one year now; the economic devastation has been both relentless and immense. In December, new jobless claims rose to 900,000, which puts the total unemployed in the U.S. to about 12.6 million, which is the highest level since the Great Depression. In short, life is bleak for many of our loved ones, friends and neighbors.
Like most Americans, I should receive the so-called “stimulus” money sometime in January. The $600 amount will be appreciated for most people: it will allow them to buy food and some other immediate necessities–but not much else. For them, it is not a stimulus as it is a little something for now—to keep one’s head above water, like a tiny life preserver in the middle of the sea.
For others, the ones not yet in dire straits (such as myself), the $600 amount will be, ironically, a stimulus—disposable income.
If you are in the latter category, you might find that putting that $600 to real good use will be an attractive option. You can donate that amount to a struggling family or a charitable organization that will invest it into something life-sustaining.
Finding an organization that can put your stimulus to good work is easy. Here are a few suggestions:
- Google your preference, such as: “donate to homeless near me.”
- Visit Charity Navigator at: https://www.charitynavigator.org/.
- Ask a friend or family member if they know someone who is about to become evicted or who is otherwise in need of financial help.
On my shortlist of community organizations helping to lessen the impact of the financial crisis due to Covid-19, are:
- Rose Haven – A day shelter for women and children.
- Wallace Medical – Providing health services regardless of ability to pay.
- Rose Community Development – Offering long-term housing solutions to families.
- GRASP – Grief recovery for those who have lost loved ones to the opioid epidemic.
- Homeless Health Care L.A. – They are on the frontline of helping those on skid row get access to healthcare.
