Greg over at PrestoPundit has received this revealing look into what is really going on in these relief centers. When they say "just send money it's easier" I thought "well that makes sense". Of course you're thinking it will be used for food and clothes and necessities, but the reality is of course different. You'd think that the relief organizations would purchase these things and hand them out. Well, they're handing out cash and gift cards. It seems most see it as a windfall and a time to upgrade their TV sets.

PrestoPundit

I know I might get slammed for some of this, but this is just my experience and my observations. This may not be indicative of all of the survivors, but it’s what I saw.

Words can’t even begin to describe the situation at [a military base in Texas]. I am so emotionally drained, but I’m definitely going back, if only for the children. I was there for four hours on Monday, and three hours yesterday.

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You would be surprised at how many of these kids only know their first name and that’s it and I can’t even imagine the kind of home life these children have/had. Based on my conversations with some of them, it wasn’t very good. This is almost verbatim one of the conversations I had with one little girl who, if I had to guess (she couldn’t tell me) was five or six.

Me: Hi sweetie, I like your braids. Can you tell me your name?

Her: My name is Shayla

Me: That’s a pretty name Shayla, do you know your last name?

Shayla: My name is Shayla, that’s all I know.

Me: Okay, how about your mommy, do you know your mommy’s name?

Shayla: I call my mommy mama.

Me: Okay, but what do other people call her? What does your daddy call her?

Shayla: I don’t have a daddy.

Me: Oh, okay what about your neighbors or your aunts and uncles; what do they call your mommy?

Shayla: One time my aunty called my mama bitch, they got into it and the police came and took my aunty away. My mama got took to the hospital because my aunty stabbed her.

Me: That must have been really scary for you.

Shayla: (shrugs) it was better then when she got shot, Jesus almost took her then. She gave me her jell-o at the hospital

I mean what on god’s green earth do you say to that? And the adults, I know they have just suffered a lot and lost everything, but that’s really no reason to take advantageous of people’s generosity. I swear it’s like they didn’t have any home training. Some of these people don’t have any sense of common decency or respect for fellow human beings; especially those who are trying to help him. One man called me a bitch because I wouldn’t give him four pizzas (not slices, but whole pizzas) because we had about 1000 more people to feed. Someone donated a bunch of gift cards and buses were taking people to Wal-Mart and Target. Don’t you know these people came back with electronics? You’re talking little television sets, DVD’s, CD’s, video gaming systems and the video games to go with them, and even beer and wine. I can count on one had the number of people who came back with clothes, toiletries, or diapers/formula for their kids. I know they lost a lot, but my first priority would be getting the necessities, not the extras. They think that since they are getting all the necessities for free, there is no need to go out and get them for themselves.

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If you still want to donate, please think about donating your old cribs and baby toys, as that is what is desperately needed, at least at [a military base in Texas] anyway.

Read the whole thing at PrestoPundit.

Did you honestly think that just giving people money straight out would work? I'm not saying don't donate, but as with the welfare system when you give someone cash with no limitations you can be sure they aren't going to spend it on what is actually needed nine times out of ten.

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California Conservative