Salvation Army

Cramit

I remember hearing Rym and Scott complaining about the Salvation Army. A search of the forum yielded this quote:

Posted By: AprechePosted By: VigaSalvation Army too? I just always thought of them as the thrift store chain.

They go to poor starving people and give them bibles when they need food. They're a lot like Mother Teresa in this way. There is a public perception that these people do a lot of good, but really they are just religious nuts.I mentioned this to family members and luckily they didn't call me on it because I realized that I had no way to back it up. Where did this info come from, I don't doubt it but I need a real source before I mention it in public.

ninjarabbi

I have mixed feelings about salvation army. I do like to go there because once in a while they will get NES games or something but most of the time they don't. My main gripe with them other than the often slim selection and the numerous smelly and/or weird people is that they are such bible-thumpers. Much of the stuff in the store are Jesus dust catchers and other crap like that. In the book section they have a "religious" section which has Christian crossed out because when they were making the sign they probably assumed that everyone is a Christian. They aren't bad in that they give food and clothes to people who need it but it has a sort of Christian vibe. It is kind of like those missionaries that only give food to starving ethiopian kids if they accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior but to a lesser degree. If you want a source then just check Wikipedia.

Cramit

Well thats the point; Scrym stated that they don't give food and clothes, but rather bibles. This is something that I have only heard from them and realized that I can't find any firm support for this idea. Wikipedia only mentions that there are some questions about their tax forms and hiring practices.

Kate Monster

The Salvation Army has a religious agenda that precedes their agenda to do good works. For that reason alone, they are not a charity that I would ever give money to/donate time or items to. Beyond that, their anti-homosexual hiring practices made me actively despise the group. If you are interested in donating (money or items) or volunteering with a similar organization, I would recommend Goodwill.

Apreche

Well thats the point; Scrym stated that they don't give food and clothes, but rather bibles.

They do give food and clothes, but they also give bibles. I have also heard reports of incidents of giving bibles, but not food or clothes. If you've got the resources to bring books to people, you've got the resources to bring food instead. Even if you bring food and bibles, you could have left the bibles at home and brought more food instead.

Nerissa

The Salvation Army has a religious agenda that precedes their agenda to do good works. For that reason alone, they are not a charity that I would ever give money to/donate time or items to. Beyond that, their anti-homosexual hiring practices made me actively despise the group. If you are interested in donating (money or items) or volunteering with a similar organization, I would recommendGoodwill.

Goodwill was originally started by a Rev. Edgar J. Helms, a Methodist minister, going door to door asking for donations. It was until later that Goodwill started offering job training for the mentally handicapped. I used to work at Goodwill, when I was in high school. But there are rules you should follow to donate at Goodwill:

1. Wash your stuff. Goodwill does not have washers and dryers.. regardless to what you think.
2. If it won't sell at your garage or yard sale, then it won't sell at Goodwill.
3. We cannot resell food, perfume, lotion, or any bottled liquids.
4. Goodwill is not a garbage dump, take your nasty shit to the garbage dump.
5. Please do not dumpster dive at Goodwill.
6. Please do not leave couches under the trailer, it is hard to get to.
7. Goodwill is donations, not a way to get a break on your taxes. We will not sign itemized papers.

Jason

7. Goodwill is donations, not a way to get a break on your taxes. We will not sign itemized papers.

Your attitude kind of upsets me. Why shouldn't people who are good enough to donate get a tax break? Goodwill is benefiting from donations; employees are benefiting from donations; the poor are benefiting from donations; why shouldn't the donors benefit from donations?

Lusankya

7. Goodwill is donations, not a way to get a break on your taxes. We will not sign itemized papers.

Your attitude kind of upsets me. Why shouldn't people who are good enough to donate get a tax break? Goodwill is benefiting from donations; employees are benefiting from donations; the poor are benefiting from donations; why shouldn't the donors benefit from donations?

On a whim, I would guess it has to do with determining the value of the donations - you'd need to appraise the item on the spot, jacking the cost of Goodwil's administrative overhead. As well, people might dispute appraisals, further burdening the system.

Schnevets

In addition, it just takes time to do appraisals/sign the paperwork. Considering how minor some tax breaks will be, I'm sure Goodwill just doesn't want to deal with paperwork whenever a t-shirt is donated.


Also, the best charities are ones with smaller initiatives, not insane, "spread happiness across the world and then let's have a big parade" movements. I'd rather know that my money is going to train a doctor in Eastern Europe than just be used "somewhere there's a disaster".

Nerissa

7. Goodwill is donations, not a way to get a break on your taxes. We will not sign itemized papers.

Your attitude kind of upsets me. Why shouldn't people who are good enough to donate get a tax break? Goodwill is benefiting from donations; employees are benefiting from donations; the poor are benefiting from donations; why shouldn't the donors benefit from donations?

We give people receipts with the number of bags they donate. People give their cost for the items. While I worked at Goodwill, every time I gave a receipt and collected their stuff.. it was all crap. I wasted the company's money having to throw most of the stuff away. Sure they are happy to give you a receipt for good quality items, that people will buy

It is bad on the other end, most of people shopping at Goodwill are not poor. The worst thing is they complain about the cost of some items. "You got this for free, why does it cost so much?" Because you just donated a bag of crap, that I had to go through, wasting my time. "This is too much, I can get a new pair of shorts for less at wal-mart." Hey, nobody is stopping you.

Jason

Am I hearing this right? You're upset that you have to sort through free donations and then do $1.9 billion in sales in 2007?

Churba

I give my Goodwill stuff to the endeavor foundation, I prefer them over the salvos because they help people with disabilities and they're not a religious organization.

Josh Bytes

I donate to Goodwill. I always tell them I don't need a receipt. I would only lose it anyway or forget to add it in my tax return. So why bother.

Apreche

I just put my old clothes in the bin at the gas station. I think it goes to Africa or something. Why do I choose that over others? Because it's within walking distance, and there's no fuss. Convenience is king.

Kilarney

Many people drop stuff off at our local Salvation Army during the weekend when they are closed. There is a group of people that ransack these donations and cherry-pick the best stuff, leaving the crap for when the store opens on Monday. To make matters worse, they leave items strewn all over the place. How low can you get?

Of course instead of complaining, the Salvation Army should buy a bin.

Kate Monster

7. Goodwill is donations, not a way to get a break on your taxes. We will not sign itemized papers.

Your attitude kind of upsets me. Why shouldn't people who are good enough to donate get a tax break? Goodwill is benefiting from donations; employees are benefiting from donations; the poor are benefiting from donations; why shouldn't the donors benefit from donations?

Umm, the Goodwill in Buffalo, NY provided me with a receipt for my donations to use when itemizing. Also, I never donated "crap". I sort through my stuff and divide it into gently used (still in good shape) and crap which is recycled and/or trashed. Anyone that just donates their "crap" pile is a dick.

Kate Monster

I just put my old clothes in the bin at the gas station. I think it goes to Africa or something. Why do I choose that over others? Because it's within walking distance, and there's no fuss. Convenience is king.

Usually those go to churh/religious organizations. The boxes should state which organization they belong to.

Churba

I just put my old clothes in the bin at the gas station. I think it goes to Africa or something. Why do I choose that over others? Because it's within walking distance, and there's no fuss. Convenience is king.

Well, I do have an endeavor within walking distance, so its a moot point for me.

Nerissa

Am I hearing this right? You're upset that you have to sort through free donations and then do $1.9 billion in sales in 2007?

No, I'm upset that people abuse the nonprofit organization, Goodwill.

Jason

What, exactly, is the alleged abuse to which you refer here?

HungryJoe

Well thats the point; Scrym stated that they don't give food and clothes, but rather bibles.

They do give food and clothes, but they also give bibles. I have also heard reports of incidents of giving bibles, but not food or clothes. If you've got the resources to bring books to people, you've got the resources to bring food instead. Even if you bring food and bibles, you could have left the bibles at home and brought more food instead.

This is hard for me to understand. Why do you have such strong opinions about things like the Salvation Army that have little if any impact on your life, but you're militantly uninterested in politics that has a profound impact on your life.

Who cares if they give bibles with food? Who cares if they give bibles and no food? It's not like it's some zero-sum game. If they give bibles, then some other organization can give food.

Apreche

Who cares if they give bibles with food? Who cares if they give bibles and no food? It's not like it's some zero-sum game. If they give bibles, then some other organization can give food.

I only care so far as not donating to them, and encourage others not to do so.

HungryJoe

So, you refrain from donating merely because they've given away a few bibles. That sounds like a rational positiion . . .

Rym

So, you refrain from donating merely because they've given away a few bibles.

I feel strongly about paying lip service to or in any way supporting religious organizations. Given the choice between two charities, I will always donate to the more secular one.

gomidog

I think the problem is that they are often misleading about how much of donations go to secular aid and how much goes to evangelical work abroad. It's not to say that missionaries ONLY DO BAD, but we at the geekhouse generally take the position that the charity is self-serving and misguided, and why donate to a religious organization when there are many other charities that put a greater percent of their money toward actually providing concrete aid.

But that aside, I would boycott them anyway because of their anti-gay sentiment. Bigots.

Churba

Some Charities down here hold massive road rallies - The Great Endeavor rally, The Variety Club Bash, so on. Even the Scouts have one, Called Banana Bash.

Magnum_Opus

Yeah, dumpster diving!