Thread: Las Vegas charities ask the needy for IDs before giveaways

Las Vegas charities ask the needy for IDs before giveaways

By Timothy Pratt | Reuters – 3 hrs ago...

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Some Las Vegas charities giving away toys and turkeys this season have started asking families to show state identification cards to get a slice of holiday cheer.

The charities say the controversial move to require Social Security or state identification cards, or birth certificates, was needed to prevent fraud born of desperation in a state at the center of the country's financial crisis.

"If you would take a look at the number of kids that got toys (at charities during Christmas) in this valley, it would exceed the number of kids in the valley," said Major Robert Lloyd, director of the Salvation Army of Clark County.

"We're really anxious to preserve the magic of Christmas for children, but we need to screen the adults," Lloyd said, adding that some families were either "double dipping" or coming in from out of state to get donations.

Charities cited instances of parents reselling donated bicycles blocks from a charity that gave them away, or families getting several holiday turkeys. Some adults, they said, were showing up for handouts with children from other families.

These are some of the issues Las Vegas-area nonprofit organizations said they were trying to avoid as they geared up for the holiday season in a state especially hard hit by the bursting of the housing bubble.

Unemployment in the state was the highest in the nation in October at 13.4 percent, and Nevada continued to have the country's highest state foreclosure rate.

Critics of the ID policy say undocumented immigrants, as well as some homeless people who may be less likely to have identification on hand, may be left out in the cold.

The critics, fearing the rules could have an exclusionary effect, noted immigration laws such as one passed in Alabama that they said could unintentionally limit city parks or pools to those who can prove they are legally in the United States.

But the nonprofits said charities must adopt such practices in response to the unexpected results of an ailing economy, and that overall giving still outweighed any unintended consequences.

CHANGE HIT AS RECESSION KICKED IN

Fuilala Riley, chief operations officer for HELP of Southern Nevada, one of the key nonprofits involved in holiday season giveaways, said she and other colleagues started noticing a change in the crowds seeking help about four years ago, just as the recession kicked in.

She said charities began seeing cars arriving for giveaways with license plates from neighboring California, and "hundreds of families" came with larger than usual numbers of children.

"There is so much more need than ever before," Riley said. "Unfortunately ... people are desperate and are doing things they wouldn't normally do."

Her agency started asking families for Social Security cards and birth certificates for their children about four years ago to prove they were related. The Nevada ID was added this year. The goal was "to circumvent what we saw as fraud," she said.

But the policy has come under criticism, especially after a an e-mail sent to members of a local chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association detailed information on the holiday giveaways, including the ID policy.

"I've never seen nonprofits asking for papers to give out a turkey. Am I over-reacting?" one association member wrote to her colleagues, adding she was appalled by the requirement.

Peter Ashman, a former head of the chapter, said he had called the county representative who circulated this season's charity information and requirements, and was told the ID rule was the policy of the charity groups, not the county.

"She hadn't thought about the consequences of the policy," he said of the representative. A county spokesman confirmed the policy had been decided by the charities.

The nonprofits involved -- the Salvation Army, HELP of Southern Nevada and Lutheran Social Services -- said they could be flexible if a needy family or person came to their doorsteps without identification during the holiday season.

They said they would help those who had lost their IDs, a common problem among the homeless, to obtain replacements.

Shortly before Thanksgiving, Riley was working the phones to find holiday deals for the several thousand families she had been expecting to serve in a Thanksgiving give-away.

She argued down a nickel or a dime off the prices of turkeys at area Wal-Marts or Costcos. "I got them down to 74 cents a pound!" she said.

(Reporting by Timothy Pratt; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

http://news.yahoo.com/las-vegas-chariti ... 45669.html

I've seen the illegals here go from one charity to the next to the next, all the while complaining that the food pantries don't have "their brands." I've seen rummage sales by people that don't speak English, selling the backpacks that charites give away before the start of the school year. What doesn't sell gets shipped to Mexico.

All the more reason to give to any organization that helps Vets. At the very least you know they have defended this country and placed their lives on the line for it , and most of them eat turkey.
I have told everyone who would think to give me something for Christmas to make a donation to a veterans support org instead.

Originally Posted by dsprtt

All the more reason to give to any organization that helps Vets. At the very least you know they have defended this country and placed their lives on the line for it , and most of them eat turkey.
I have told everyone who would think to give me something for Christmas to make a donation to a veterans support org instead.

dsprtt: I have to admit I gave up donating to most charities because the illegals benefit! For the benefit of all of us, will Vet organizations accept donations of clothes? "Gently" used of course! I have so many clothes, and I mean heavy clothes I would love to have a Vet have!

nomas, try calling your local American Legion or VFW. They probably know of charities that help our veterans. Our local American Legion helps homeless vets with clothing, a temporary place to stay until they get on their feet, and helps them find work with local companies.

It's sad to say, but I've stopped giving to local charities, especially those for children, since the illegals line up and scoop up all the donations. I'll always drop money in the canisters for our veterans' organizations though, along with a heartfelt thank you.

Thanks, ReggieMay! Since I follow the racing circuit to FL in the winter I have tons of GOOD winter clothes I would love for a Vet to have.

American Legion and VFW are good ways to find local Vets. The Local VA Hospital Or Admin offices are good also and generally have first hand knowledge of Local Vets who are obtaining services through them.. Some accept donations and some do not.
Be aware that when donating to AMVETS , Vietnam Veterans, Disabled American Veterans groups they usually operate thrift stores selling donated items with proceeds going to various charities benefiting Veterans. Not to say donating items to these orgs is a bad thing, but if you prefer them to go directly to A Vet or their family it is best to ask first.