There are many everyday necessities that we take for granted. Food, clothing, and shelter are just a few. We often think that people who don’t have these things live in developing countries across the oceans. If you think the only children who are homeless and hungry live in Africa or in a country where a natural disaster such as an earthquake has just occurred, you have another think coming. Nearly 1 in 50 children is homeless, and over 40% of those children are under the age of 8. In fact, it is estimated that nearly 15 million children in America live below the poverty level and do not have adequate food, clothing, education or health care.
It may be easy to turn a blind eye to this poverty if one lives in an affluent area and never actually sees children living in the streets and suffering. Once people are given accurate information on the levels of this tragedy, however, most people are ready to step up to the plate and find a way to help. With the numbers being so staggering, it may be hard to feel like anything one does will actually help. The more people who put in their little bit, the more that can be done.
You may already volunteer at the local soup kitchen or donate to your church’s humanitarian fund, but there is another great way to help that you may not have even heard about. Did you know that you can donate an old car, no matter what condition it is in and whether it runs or not? That’s right, you can make a big difference by donating your old vehicle – whether it is a car, a boat, or an RV. One of the nice things about this program is that the charitable institution will arrange for the towing at no cost to you. This will actually do you a big favor if you have been wondering how to get rid of that old, rusty vehicle.
The benefit to you doesn’t stop there, however. You will also receive a tax deductible receipt for the value of the vehicle, and some charitable institutions even give you a gift card as a thank you. Enough about the benefits for you, what about the children? Can your old clunker actually help? Your vehicle will be repaired and sold to someone who needs it. Sometimes it can be given to the head of a household so that he can get a job and pay for his children’s needs. Other times it will be sold for parts or scrap. No matter what condition your vehicle is in, it has value, and that will translate to proceeds to help the needy children. It is truly a wonderful situation for all concerned.