Do you think this is real or not? A family in need

[Grateful11]

My wife was just browsing thru Craigslist tonight and found this. She's been talking about trying
to find a family in need of some of things we might have or someone that just needs monetary help in general.
If we could get their address, we would just ship them some of the items they're asking for. I have
all sorts of tested video game systems that we have not put on eBay yet, we have board games
and Legos of course.

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/wan/1493119096.html

[Black]

I vote legit, thus far-- take it to phone and see what kind of vibe you get.

[LyleH]

Maybe it wasn't legit:

This posting has been flagged for removal (by Craigslist)

LyleH

[Winston]

Grateful -

I commend your incipient generosity.

There are lots of organizations which work 1:1 with people around this time of year. Local churches and schools often have programs. Tomorrow we are going shopping with funds raised by my 7th grader's homeroom for Christmas gifts for a specific child who has some needs. Getting everything from a football to clothing. (Note that we don't know the child's name, just the specific requests.)

I can't comment specifically on Charlotte, but I am sure you could find someone needy without a lot of effort. The trick is to find an organization in which you have confidence.


Good luck.


- Winston

[Grateful11]

It's gone. How many flags does an ad have to get to be pulled?

[Kiva]

go to a local school which serves poor kids. They always have families that require help this time of year.

kiva

[Grateful11]

We may very well try that. How does the school know, do the parents usually come to the staff
or does the staff usually have some idea of who needs help and ask if they need help?

[AlphaDog]

Grateful11 wrote:
We may very well try that. How does the school know, do the parents usually come to the staff
or does the staff usually have some idea of who needs help and ask if they need help?

Districts are very different, but every one of them has some kind of way of identifying children/families in need. In districts around here, there are family support workers affiliated with social service agencies; in districts that don't have programs like that, nurses or school counselors often have the information. I'd contact someone from at either the district administration office or a local school or perhaps even a church. There are lots of ways of learning the needs of local families and having what you have to contribute stay within your community.

Edit: What I should have added is that even if you contact someone who can't help directly, they'll know who to call.

[Black]

I've been involved with "organizational" efforts that reach out to poor people. Often they do a poor job of identifying a family not only in need, but able to appreciate the support. Not sure why flagging has any bearing on an ad's veracity (the craigslist self-monitoring system has never worked) or why one can't reach out on one's own to make sure the assistance goes where it's needed and appreciated.

[cbelt3]

Lots of operations. I'm collecting for Toys for Tots with Boy Scouts and at work. I've done it for over 10 years now.