Six for Saturday: Charities

So there are a lot of charities that have caught my eye in the past few years. Soon I will have my credit cards paid off, and I will hopefully be donating to them on a regular basis. (There's even a charity below that doesn't ask for money—just coupons!)

1. Caring with Coupons. This charity was started by one woman in the South. It is a coupon network that takes advantage of coupons that allow items to be purchased for free. (Item costs $2 and coupon is for $1, but the store will double the coupon, etc.) The items are donated to people who have been hurt by the tornadoes. This only requires the cost of a stamp! (Thanks to dianapantz for the heads up!)
   
   
2. CASA for Children. CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates. This helps foster children find safe, permanent homes. You can donate money or volunteer. There are sectors of this organization in most big cities (such as CASA of Philadelphia). I've always wanted to help kids in the foster system. Until I have the resources to actually take in foster children, I think this will be a great way for me to help.
   
   
3. Kiva. This site allows you to participate in microcredit loans that are being distributed world-wide. You choose a loan recipient, donate $25, they pay you back, and then you loan again. $25 can make a huge difference!
   
   
4. Charity: Water. $20 can get a person clean water ($5,000 is enough to get a community of 250 people clean water). Lack of clean water/sanitation causes 80% of diseases and kills more people than all forms of violence combined. 90% of the 42,000 deaths that occur every week from lack of clean water/sanitation are to children under 5 years old.
   
   
5. Feed the Children: U.S. Programs. While it's great to help those abroad, we need to make sure that every person in America (the richest country in the world) has enough food. Donate some money or build a Kid's Stuff Shoe Box to help feed the 12 million children in the U.S. who may not have enough food today.
   
   
6. Red Cross. You can't forget about the Red Cross. It seems like everyone donates and maybe your money could be put to better use elsewhere. But think about it: who's always there when disasters happen and people need food, clothing, shelter, etc.? It's the Red Cross.