Everyday there are many many passionate individuals who work tirelessly to make the world a better place. We at SoulDuster feel very fortunate to be a part of this caring community. We would like to do our part to give back as well. Thank you for sharing our passion to build a better world.
We are deeply touched by the needs in six causes – disaster relief, hunger relief, ending homelessness, healthcare for the poor, childhood development, and global citizenship. You tell us which of these causes you would like to support and we will donate the charitable portion of our sales to the charity(ies) associated with the cause. There are many worthy charities. As a start, we have identified one highly-regarded charity for each cause. We plan to add more charities to the list after we get the Charity Program going.
Here is the current list of 501(c)3 charities identified for each cause. Information is obtained from the charities’ websites and the organizations’ IRS Form 990.
Direct Relief: Direct Relief is a medical-focused relief organization focused on improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty and emergencies. The organization has earned the highest rating from Charity Navigator and Guide Star. In the early days of Hurricane Harvey, the organization has committed to making available its entire current inventories of more than $100 million to support medical relief and recovery efforts in Texas. It had bolstered front-line responders with supplies before the storm. As the situation unfolds, Direct Relief works with health facilities that serve people who rely on the healthcare safety net for essential services. It extends its reach of relief by partnering with Texas Association of Community Health Centers and other national health relief associations.
Feeding America Feeding America’s network of food banks provide emergency food and disaster-relief supplies. According to Feeding America’s website, over a recent five-year period, the organization has distributed over 100 million pounds of emergency food and supplies to communities and households in the days and weeks following a disaster. To prepare for Harvey, Feeding America staged food and disaster supplies in locations through the South in the days prior to the storm. The food banks are delivering food, water, cleaning supplies and other essentials to communities devastated by the storm. At the national level, Feeding America is conducting ongoing monitoring and coordinating efforts with partners including American Red Cross and FEMA.
Feeding America’s mission is to feed the hungry through a nationwide network of food banks and engage America in the fight to end hunger. The Feeding America network includes 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs. Its Summer Child Nutrition Program, BackPack Program, School Pantry Program and Kids Café provide food for children throughout the year. It also runs a Mobile Pantry Program, Senior Grocery Program, Disaster Food Assistance and SNAP Outreach. Feeding America works with food manufacturers and providers to save good food from going to waste. Recognizing the importance of nutritious food, and not just any food, the organization works hard to secure food that is healthy, nutritious, and safe. Feeding America’s goal is to eventually break the cycle of hunger and poverty.
The National Alliance To End Homelessness is a nonpartisan organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the U.S. The Alliance offers a voice on federal homelessness policy. It analyzes enacted and proposed legislation and advocates for improved federal policy. Its Homelessness Research Institute analyzes data and research so that policymakers, practitioners, and the public have the best information about trends in homelessness and emerging solutions. The Alliance’s Center for Capacity Building helps communities turn policy solutions and best practices into viable, on-the-ground programs.
The mission of the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinic (NAFC) is to ensure that the medically underserved have access to affordable quality health care. NAFC was founded in 2001 by a group of grassroots medical providers and organizers who recognized that health care provided at a local level to the working poor, uninsured and underinsured was inefficient. There are approximately 1,200 Free and Charitable Clinics in the US. In 2016 these clinics have seen 1.8 million unduplicated patients through 6 million patient visits, with the help of 190,000 volunteers. These clinics are essential but they receive little to no state or federal funding. NAFC supports these clinics by offering health education and training to the clinics’ volunteers and staff. It negotiates cost-effective and efficient medication and supply programs for the clinics. On the other hand, the Association builds strategic partnership to inform policymakers about the continued need for health care equality, accessibility, affordability and portability for the medically underserved.
The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. BBBS has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. BBBS makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 through 18, in communities across the country. The organization runs programs for specific groups of Bigs and Littles. For example, they have programs focusing on children of military families, children with incarcerated parents, and connecting youth with police volunteers. The goal is to develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people.
Doctors Without Borders, or Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), provide independent medical humanitarian emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, natural disasters and exclusion from health care. MSF was awarded the international Nobel Peace Prize in 1999 for their extraordinary relief effort. At any one time, there are about 30,000 aid workers providing aid in 60+ countries. For example, in 2014, MSF teams working in 63 countries around the world, provided around 8.3 million outpatient consultations, admitted more than 511,800 patients for inpatient care, and helped deliver more than 194,000 babies. Teams also cared for patients with HIV/AIDS, severely malnourished children; measles and meningitis outbreaks; surgeries; cases of malaria and cholera, first or second line TB, mental health consultations, and victims of sexual violence.
