Why should I consider donating my tax rebates?
The federal government expects the tax rebates to be spent, which in turn will help drive the economy. By all means, those who need the rebate should spend the money to help meet their family’s needs.
Hunger affects our local communities, our schools and our economy. A donation of $10.00 buys a food box to feed a family for 3-5 days. Tax Rebate donations of $1200 can feed that same family for a year!
Source: Oregon Food Bank
However, not everyone who will receive a rebate needs the money. Those who are blessed with education, health and financial means have an almost unprecedented opportunity to use the rebate windfall to assist those who have none of those things.
We live in a great nation yet an estimated 37 million in the US live below poverty line —more people than live in any state except for California. Nationally, 1 in 6 children — 13 million! — are poor; in the most extreme case, Cleveland, 42% of the children live below the poverty line.
Internationally, the poor suffer even more as 2.6 billion people – 40 percent of the world's population – live on less than $2 per day. Millions have no access to clean water, basic health care, education or nutritious meals. Every day, 30,000 children die from preventable causes such as hunger or treatable illnesses.
Very different opinions may exist as to why people are poor — corrupt governments, consequences of personal choices, etc. —the simple fact remains that they are in need. And, those in the US with little or no safety net will be the first and most impacted by an economic slowdown.
Clearly, the needs are great and -by any measure- compelling. We now have an extraordinary opportunity to act: $100 million in new aid to the poor only requires 83,300 households to donate their $1200 rebates — an extremely small percentage of all those that will receive a rebate.