If people want to send canned goods or food that will go directly to people in Miami, I have contacted Goodwill there and they gave me two addresses to send things to.

The first one here is for food and water: Feeding South Florida, Att: Alana, 2501 SW 32nd Terrace, Pembroke Park, FL 33023

This one is to send clothing or other items: Goodwill Central Store, 2125 NW 21st Street, Miami FL 33142

I like to be more personal when I donate and give people things they need right now instead of money to a big conglomerate charity.

Sending clothes is a waste of time.

So is sending food.

The cost to send food is prohibitive.

If you really want to help, just send money.

Thank you, AllyM.

There are numerous charitable and religious organizations here that have setup collection drop off areas. They've been transporting everything they collect to FL and Houston.

We've been talking about cleaning out our closets for almost a year but never seemed to get around to it. When we saw the devastation from Harvey and Irma we finally got motivated.

But money works well too.

ALSO consider the Florida Keys; Cudjoe Key to Marathon Mile Marker 15 to 50. There were many mobile home/trailer parks that were hit hard by wind and storm surge. The Keys are very nice place to visit in the winter to get out of the cold north. Consider donating to places in the Florida Keys!!! There are people that live there they work in restaurants and other businesses that are in need of work force workers. They live month to month pay check to pay check and this kind of devastation is very hard on them they most likely lost everything.

It may take some time for them to get up and running or back to normal. Another way you can help southern Florida; Miami to Naples and The Keys, take a vacation to the areas and help the area with your vacation dollars.

There is a monster storm heading to Puerto Rico a Cat 5 Hurricane Maria it can be devastating with winds, rain and potential mudslides. Let's hope that people in the path of Hurricane Maria stay safe. Let's hope it does not dog leg onto the US coastal areas once it turns north. It's a monster storm!!! Two back to back major storms Irma and Maria...

AllyM,

You're a sweetie!

I donate money to reputable organizations that are geared up to handle such needs. Samaritan's Purse is Franklin Graham's deal. Good investment.

At our big flood they rolled into town with a semi full of tools, chainsaws, Bobcats, supplies...and people TRAINED to help.

I read they were staged and waiting for Irma to hit.

Just found this: "About 80% of all recovery happens because of non-profits, and the majority of them are faith-based,"

Thank you for letting me know that Samaritan's Purse works, Brad. I will help them in the future. Had an applicant for my apartment and her huge husband stop by to look last week. Thank God they thought it was too small since he would have broken toilets. Then there was a commotion out front and a friend of the applicant wife was out there with a cold coffee mug that had some insulin in it. Turns out the applicant lady did not have money for her month's insulin which is $700. She is going on Medicaid this month. They lost their home because they both got sick at the same tome. So I wrote her a check for it.

CJO'H:

There are some websites where you can find out about the charities to ensure your dollars are going where you want them to go and that the CEO isn't receiving the lion's share of the proceeds.

BBB has a division that provides good information on money in vs. % of money out. hsca.org/charities is another reputable site and charitywatch.org is one of the original watchdogs when it comes to charities.

Another great charitable organization my family supports is Convoy of Hope. Sprang up locally in my hometown awhile back and has grown to be a national and international aid organization. Their semis were headed toward Florida before the storms finished...ready to hit the towns with supplies the minute they were over. They specialize in providing immediate needs disaster help (water, food, blankets, cleaning supplies, toiletry items, etc). When possible, they also send along trained medical volunteers and counselors to help folks deal with injuries and emotions devastated by loss.

Convoy is faith-based and volunteer driven, which keep costs low and relief resources used to max potential. I've been to several of their events and we packed enough macaroni dinners to feed a small Caribbean County for a day. They are amazing.

They have an impressive financial audit: less than 3% of donations go to admin, 7% to fundraising efforts, with a few bucks to cover other miscellaneous stuff...the other 90+ gets directly to the hands of victims. Convoy is a few percentages cheaper on the overhead than Samaritain's Purse. Not to take away from Brad's group at all...they sound great. I think either organization is worthy!

Here's another vote for Samaritan's Purse. A friend from my area was contacted by S.P. as soon as Harvey hit TX, to schedule her, as an experienced flood relief worker, to go start the cleanup. She arrived yesterday, and the videos and photos she sent while getting to her assignment are heartbreaking.