Jan 14, 2010

How Much Can I Afford to Give to Haiti?

Yesterday morning I donated $5 to Wyclef's relief organization in Haiti simply by texting YELE to 501501.  Later in the day, as I watched a CNN report on the current situation in Haiti, it dawned on me that a $5 donation from someone like me is ridiculous.  I spend more than $5 on a magazine that I feel like reading, or on my 3X/weekly frozen yogurt habit.  I am far from rich, but I can definitely afford to put some of my daily luxuries aside for a week or two in order to provide much-needed assistance to a people who have nothing.  So I got online and gave an amount that made me feel just a little uncomfortable, but also like my donation was truly going to help.
  In thinking about what you can afford to give, I encourage you to push the limit a little.  No matter how hard our own recession has hit, Haitians need our money more than we do.

1 comment:

Liz said...

SO true Meels! I did almost exactly the same thing. I considered a modest donation to PIH (www.pih.org) and right before I submitted it realized that with all of the benefits of living and playing where I do I can afford to give so much more. We should all be giving something that almost scares us!