BACKGROUND: My name is Rick Aldridge. I have been a first responder since 1977. I started in Law Enforcement with the USAF in 1977. I retained into what is called Emergency Management (USAF) in 1981. I served in that field until I retired. 26 years total active-duty time. Desert Storm and Operation Enduring Freedom. During my time on active duty, I was directly involved in military response to numerous natural disasters.
In 2012, I joined an organization known as Team Rubicon, an NGO that was dedicated to military retirees trained and deployable anywhere for disasters. I was immediately selected as the Director for Oklahoma.
There are two incredible organizations that are highly recommended to recommended to donate to.
Samaritans Purse
Their mission is very biblical, “After sharing the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus said “Go and do likewise.” That is the mission of Samaritan’s Purse—to follow the example of Christ by helping those in need and proclaiming the hope of the Gospel.
Franklin Graham has devoted his life to meeting the needs of people around the world and proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The elder son of Billy and Ruth Bell Graham, he has served as president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse since 1979 and as president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association since 2001.
Under his leadership, Samaritan’s Purse has met the needs of poor, sick, and suffering people in more than 170 countries. As an evangelist for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, he has led crusades around the world.
Raised in a log home in the Appalachian Mountains outside Asheville, North Carolina, Graham now lives in the mountains of Boone, North Carolina, with his wife, Jane Austin Graham.
They stay in the disaster area well after everybody like the Red Cross and other NGOs leave. They hire local people to help rebuild, they provide funding in many cases to families that qualify to help that rebuild.
Convoy of Hope
Another top response organization that provides millions of tons of much needed supplies and normally one of the first to arrive into a disaster area.
As a humanitarian, faith-based organization, Convoy of Hope’s goal is to serve people who are impoverished, hungry, and hurting. To do this, Convoy holds these core values:
Love-Dignity-Service-Excellence-Integrity-Unity-Support-Partnership-Hope-Advocacy
Convoy of Hope ships tons of much needed supplies to designated distribution sites, normally churches if available.
A Warning about the Red Cross
I had worked with the Red Cross on numerous responses and was always concerned with how they operated. It was always a frustrating time dealing with their volunteers and leadership. They would deploy in and immediately want to take charge and push our leadership to the side. Normally never from the state so never familiar with the people or area.
I saw them during numerous deployments trying to shut down the volunteers that came with field kitchens or simply huge smokers to feed people. They would either shut down or take over shelters that had been set up and were running fine by local volunteers. If they could not for some reason take them over, which was rare but happened, they would demand the number of people sheltered and if they could not stop the kitchens etc. they would demand numbers of how many fed. As I worked my way into the heart of the Red Cross, I found out they would take those numbers and ass them to their own numbers, reason, they get paid buy those numbers! I also found out the money they advertise for donations for during any disaster are not in fact used for that disaster, the money is all sent back to HQ and sits in an account. They use the money from a previous disaster! You will normally hear survivors themselves tell people to never donate to the Red Cross. They just need to disband them, simply provide disaster supplies to the volunteers that are on the ground.
In closing, the Red Cross leaves a disaster area after so many days. It leaves the bulk of the recovery to locals, volunteer teams etc. They suck up much of the money in donations, never leave any money behind for recovery. You never hear any complaints on Samaritans Purse or Convoy of Hope.