The Phillippines

  One month after a deadly typhoon hit the Philippines and killed almost 6,000 people, the death toll continues to rise each day.  Yet even with all the donations and celebrities going to visit and help out, and the online charities, the people still need help.  They are in desperate need of food, clothing,and water.  And unfortunately, only 10% of online donations to charities such as Red Cross, actually make it to the country in need. A recent campaign for the Alzheimer's Association by a telemarketing company received $16,101 in donations from Hawaii, but the charity was only given $19.71, according to the latest state Attorney General's charitable solicitation financial report.  The best way to help the Philippines would be to directly ship "care packages" or simply tangible items instead of money.  If people in America opened their closet and pulled out all the clothes they don't wear or don't fit anymore and put them in a box with some bottles of water and non-perishable food items, wrote an address on the box and shipped it, they would be saving more lives than the person donating $100 to the Red Cross' Philippines relief fund.  
  Yet if money is the only option for someone to help,they should directly hand it to a charity or organization who then has to send it to the country in need.  But think about what happens when you donate money. Even if it reaches the country, what are they going to do with it?  A majority of their towns have been destroyed, which means they don't just have a Super Walmart open for business, so in all honesty, sending money there would be a waste- for you and them.