Charity. Should I do charity work?

The desire to help those in need, to contribute part of the funds to pay for the operation or medicines for the sick, food and clothing for the needy is a very noble impulse.

9 reasons to give to charity

By transferring some amount to a charitable foundation, you can give vent to the accumulated feelings of love and compassion. This is natural, and it can bring satisfaction and even pleasure.
Good deeds always come back to those who do them. Therefore, if you find yourself in a difficult life situation, you can count on help.

By helping people, you may be making amends for some unseemly act committed in the past. This gives you the opportunity to calm your conscience.

Public figures often earn a positive image for themselves by doing charity work.

Helping people, we preserve humanity, do not let our hearts harden, shake off the burden of cynicism that inevitably appears over the years.

People tend to be grateful for the help. Let them never know your name - their good thoughts, positive energy directed at you will do their job.

Regular sacrifice, which has become habitual and obligatory, disciplines and develops willpower.
Good deeds increase self-esteem. When apathy overcomes you and everything starts to fall out of your hands, just remember how much you helped strangers by sharing your money, things, products or time with them.

Charity is a great way to support the unity of all living beings that live on Earth. Do you remember - "Let's join hands, friends, so as not to disappear one by one"?

Speaking about charity, I would like to quote the words of Dr. V. V. Sinelnikov:
“The word CHARITY literally means to do good. That is, to make someone happier and more joyful in life. In other words, charity is a selfless activity for the benefit of others. What might this activity be? What can we give free of charge to people that will bring them happiness? And what can we donate?

Let's start with the fact that charitable activities are possible only if a person accepts people and this world. Accepts without complaint or resentment. He believes in the justice of what is happening in this world with himself and with other people. Selfless activity is possible only if one believes in happiness. He is aware of himself as part of this world, part of the whole. By doing good for the part, you do good for the whole, that is, for God. And happiness is the feeling of being part of the whole.

And it should be noted that this first step is the most difficult. It is very difficult to love this world with unconditional love, to believe in its justice, to take responsibility for your thoughts and actions. But you need to start. And I will tell you how to take this step without much effort on your part. Basically, we all do it every day. We just don't put power into our actions. And this action is called - the wish of HEALTH. It is only necessary to greet people correctly, putting a special meaning and image into your greeting. It turns out that our ancestors laid the first stage of charity in the word "HELLO".

“Hello” is a wish for health, and health, as we already know, means harmony with oneself and with the world around, and harmony is happiness. It is with this sense and feeling that you need to greet people. It is good if at the same time you also make a bow, paying tribute to this person, as a piece of God on Earth.

The second step is no less important than the first. It's called GRATITUDE. And in this magic word lies the meaning of charity - to give good. Truly the Russian language is a magical language.

It is desirable that a person should always be in a grateful frame of mind. It is very important. We need to be grateful for everything Life gives us. You need to be grateful to everyone: God, parents and children, Nature, people. Moreover, the feeling of gratitude should be present in us regardless of the behavior of others. Some in this world give us joy, others teach lessons. We need to thank both of them equally, and the latter even more than the former, since they give us the opportunity to progress spiritually.
The next stage is called JOY. To experience joy means to give Light to the surrounding world. Please.

Remember - we are children of the Sun, we are luminous beings. Giving Light is our essence.
Now let's look at what a SACRIFICE is. Sacrifice is the voluntary giving up of something in favor of someone or something.

What can be donated?

You can donate:

1) food and prepared food;

2) things, including clothes;

3) shelter, lodging;

4) money;

5) knowledge;

6) their feelings through the gift of art: singing, music, paintings, books, dance, etc.;

7) donate your life energy and time through your work (to teach, heal, build, cook food, etc.); donate your body (tissues and organs), your life. For example, a warrior sacrifices his life for the freedom of his people. The rescuer also sacrifices his life to save a person.

It turns out that not every donation can bring happiness to another person, and therefore to the one who donates. For example, if you give a drunkard the money that he spends on drinking, it will be a donation, but it will not be charity. Moreover, such activity can even lead to the loss of the Power of Piety and to the degradation of the one who donated. That is why it is very important to know how to donate properly.

The Vedas say that there are several types of donations:

1) donation in goodness (that is, charity);

2) donation in passion;

3) donation in ignorance.

How do they differ from each other?

If we donate something that leads to the degradation of human consciousness, then this will be a donation in ignorance.
For example, the mayor of the city arranges a "charity" action: in honor of Victory Day, give each veteran a bottle of vodka and a package of sausages. This will undoubtedly be a sacrifice in ignorance, since both vodka and meat products lead to the destruction of the mind. In this case, the head of the city does not know what he is doing. But he will answer for it in full.

Donating in ignorance always leads to the degradation of both: the one to whom you donate, and the one who donates.
If we donate with thoughts of receiving some kind of benefit (not necessarily material, it may be a desire for fame, the thought “how good I am”), then this will also not be charity. It will be a sacrifice in passion, because in this case we do not act unselfishly.

Giving to goodness or charity is always a selfless activity. The idea of ​​charity is one - to give benefit to people. And do not think about the fruits. And oh, it's not easy. Selflessness does not immediately take possession of our entire being. Be sure to have a desire to at least praise yourself, and especially so that others do it. Therefore, to engage in charity, a certain amount of personal power is already needed. And an impeccable life, life according to the Rule, abstinence from temptations will help to acquire this strength.

Charity is the highest level of consciousness.

Now it is important to understand what can be donated, how, to whom and where.

I already wrote earlier that, depending on our worldview and worldview, three main forces inevitably act on us in this world: virtue (or goodness), passion and ignorance. Therefore, we should be aware that in this world some people are virtuous, others live in passion, and still others live in ignorance. In accordance with this, our actions in relation to each person should be different.

It is undesirable for a person who is in ignorance to donate money, as it can be used for harm. It is better to give something that he can immediately eat or drink, such as bread, an apple, milk. If necessary, you can give clothes, provide accommodation, and help in difficult times.

It is also undesirable for a person who lives in passion to donate money, since he is strongly attached to them, and they will only give him unnecessary tension. In addition to food, clothing and shelter, it is better to give a passionate person knowledge, wise advice.

A virtuous, righteous, holy man can sacrifice everything, even his own life.

Charity is done at the right time, in the right place, and to the right people.

It is undesirable to give money in places such as markets and train stations, streets and subways, transport. Although we know that it is these places that the beggars especially love, since there are a large crowd of people. But we must be attentive to ourselves and people and not be led by a feeling of pity.

Money can be given near the temple and in holy places. Even if a far from good person receives them, it will still be favorable for him and for you, since the beggar's faith in God will be strengthened.
Another important rule. Donate should be done with respect for the person to whom you are donating. It is necessary to thank him and bow. If you donate to a worthy person without proper attention and respect, you may even suffer for it.

So many conditions, you say. - Maybe it's easier not to donate at all?
You can't, my dear. Refusal to donate leads to hardness of heart, halt in spiritual development and, in the end, to degradation.

By and large, we cannot but donate. We all do this every day. We just do it without proper knowledge, and therefore we often suffer for it, not realizing where this suffering comes from.
If asked, you should always give, but not always what is asked. Once a person approached you, it means that you really owe him something, but the question is what? The Universe, God speak to us through this person. We owe this world something. Through people we are freed from greed.

Learn to give, to give. To avoid losses in life, there is one proven way. You need to learn how to give back to the world around you in time. And not necessarily money. It can be physical help and moral support. You can share knowledge and positive experience. It can be just joy or love, the warmth of your soul. Find a needy person in this world and start helping him completely selflessly.

If you are asked for help, it means that you are able to help this person. Somewhere inside you there is a solution. Moreover, helping this person in his trouble, you get a kind of inoculation. After all, every person is a projection of yourself in this world. By helping someone solve their problems, you gain certain knowledge and experience, which means you will avoid the same problem in your life. Helping a worthy person in his good deeds, you get much more benefits.

There is a golden rule of charity:
A person who engages in charitable activities receives as many benefits as there is piety in the person to whom he made a donation or how much pious activities he engages in.
For example, if you donate to a holy person, you will receive benefits as many times more, how many times his holiness is greater than yours.

Or, if you donate money for the construction of some institution, the creation of some organization, you will receive as many benefits as the benefits people receive from this institution or organization.

It is also important to know one more rule:
A person doing charity does not always receive the same thing that he donates, but always receives what he needs at the moment.

For example, you selflessly donated money to a cause. In response, the Universe can give you health, the possibility of spiritual development, prosperous relationships, greater happiness in the family, meeting the right person, a true friend, etc. You can also get money, but only if you really need it. Giving good to others, you get what you need according to fate. The main thing is not to wait for a return, not to think about the fruits, otherwise it will cease to be charity and turn into a sacrifice in passion. And it will bring nothing but tension from expectation and disappointment.

Charity increases the Power of Piety and gives a person the opportunity to change his destiny.

Olga Moiseeva for the Women's magazine "Charm"

The top world ranking includes only six countries from the "big twenty", usually the leading positions are occupied by third world countries, - says Alexander Babkina, head of the Dobro Mail.Ru project. - In Sierra Leone, one of the world's poorest countries, 81 percent of those surveyed say they regularly help strangers. In Russia, many times less - 30 percent.

Charity is a complex process, which is influenced by a lot of factors that international ratings do not always take into account. For example, the level of poverty, conflicts on the territory of the state, natural disasters or religious traditions.

In Russia, according to the expert, charity has already reached a new level. Only on the Dobro Mail.Ru service, the volume of donations in 2016 increased by 200 percent compared to 2015. But the leap forward, which funds and volunteers are waiting for, has not happened yet.

Until now, many have not understood that charity is not only donations. But both blood donors and volunteers who entertain sick children in hospitals, renovate nursing homes, chip in for nurses or take expensive medicines to another city.

Intellectual volunteering is actively developing, when lawyers, designers, accountants, journalists provide pro bono professional services to NGOs (translated from Latin for the sake of the public good. - Note ed.), - says Alexandra Babkina. - Some companies pay employees for the time they spend working for the benefit of the non-profit sector.

People are more willing to support environmental projects than transfer money to a seriously ill adult

But when it comes to buying expensive drugs or special equipment, building shelters or paying for rehabilitation courses, the only thing that can help is donations. The problem is that 50 percent of Russians, according to VTsIOM, refuse to help because they do not trust those who collect money. Serious funds rely on openness, publish all reports, actively communicate with the media and in social networks. But first they must double-check their potential wards.

90 percent of our wards are patients of leading federal centers who come to Moscow for treatment from all over Russia, - says Irina Bakradze, Managing Director of the Sunflower Charitable Foundation for Helping Children and Adults with Immunity Disorders. - We will definitely meet with them personally, check the documents, communicate with the doctor, and only after that we sign a cooperation agreement with the recipient of assistance. It states that charitable assistance is not a substitute for state aid.

This means that at first people go and receive all the benefits they are entitled to at their place of residence. And the fundraiser is opened only if the patient does not have a legal way to receive the necessary assistance from the state. The Sunflower Foundation also closely monitors the assistance that their wards can receive, for example, in other funds.

This is important for reporting. Monthly detailed reports are a guarantee of our transparency and a guarantee of the trust of philanthropists, Bakradze explained.

But the NPO's efforts are thwarted by scammers. They have learned how to forge reports and medical documents, create duplicate websites of respected foundations and organize charity events on the street, offering to buy a bracelet for a symbolic 100 rubles.

Honest foundations and animal shelters never collect money on the street, and people who ask for "a ticket home" or "treatment" in passageways and subway cars are victims of a terrible system in which they themselves have practically no rights, explains Alexandra Babkina.

But there is another problem - the Russians are more willing to support an environmental project than to transfer money to a seriously ill adult. In 2015, everyone was shocked by the FOM data: only one percent of Russians, given a choice, are ready to help adults.

If you offhand remember at least three funds that help adults, you are already a great fellow, - says Victoria Agadzhanova, director of the Zhivoi Adult Assistance Fund.

There are still very few foundations dealing with the problems of treatment and rehabilitation of adults in our country. People from all over the country apply to the Zhivoi Foundation, from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka.

Attracting donations to pay for the treatment of adults is much more difficult than seeking funds for the treatment of children, Agadzhanova continues. - Children are the future, it is touching and defenseless, and adults ... And what about adults? You must save yourself.

According to the expert, this fundamentally erroneous philosophy leads to the fact that we help everyone around, but not ourselves and people like us. But it depends on the health of an adult whether his elderly parents will be well-groomed and cared for in old age, and his young children will be fed and clothed. Society needs to understand that when an adult falls ill, the whole family suffers.

Charity in numbers

• 10 percent of Russians say they help someone regularly.
• 77 percent of Russians want to know where their money goes.
• 66 percent of Russians believe in the honesty of funds.
• 41 percent of Russians in a difficult situation rely on the help of relatives,
• 22 - to help friends.

Lydia Moniava, manager of the children's program at the Vera Hospice Assistance Fund: "Something joyful happens all the time"

“I became a volunteer at the age of 16. There was such a project in RCCH*: volunteers walked around the hospital together with children and took photos. My friend and I decided to participate, and I really enjoyed talking with the guys, they seemed to me much deeper and more talented than ordinary peers. Probably because, unlike healthy children, who can do a variety of things (go to school to study, walk in the yard), they have a rather small range of activities - they can draw, write, compose ... As a result, they devote a lot of time to creative things, and that's why they're doing great. And although they do not feel well at the same time, I came to them not because I felt sorry for them, but because I was interested in them.

One day I decided to go to work in the Gift of Life Foundation. I hoped that then I would have the opportunity to spend even more time in the hospital. But it turned out the opposite - as soon as a person comes to work for a charity, he does not see children at all, he sits with papers, reports, a computer, collects money ... On the other hand, I understand that families with sick children have so many needs that in the first place you need to help them with this. I write about some of our needs on Facebook. I always try to write from myself personally. And so as not to offend anyone: neither the mother of the child, nor the father, nor the doctors, nor the friends. Nine years ago I did the same thing, but on LiveJournal. At first, she simply told stories about what I had in the hospital, and when there were a lot of subscribers and they began to offer help, I realized that I could ask her.

If we collect money, we will never tell scandalous stories about how, for example, a father left the family and does not help, or how a doctor in a hospital scolded someone ... This is parallel information, it does not help anything. We do not publish photos of sick and unhappy children, on the contrary, we post photos that parents like. We do not write what is unpleasant for the family, what does not make sense to make public ... We just say that we need a ventilator. We explain: if he is not there, the child's life will turn into hell, because he will remain forever alone in intensive care. If we collect the money, he will have a normal human life, a normal childhood...

Why is it possible to collect such amounts? Because we are friends with the families we help, we love them. If a person does something very important for very important people for himself, everything works out. It is important not to work formally - then everything is found. The problem is that we have 170 wards. They all need something, but you can't post 170 requests a day on Facebook. We are very grateful that people in general help the fund, transfer money, then we can cover other needs.

I have enough strength, because when you communicate with people, they talk not only about horror and grief. Life consists of pleasant little things, for example, a nanny showed live butterflies to one boy, the temperature of another decreased, and he felt better, a teacher came to the girl for the first time, and now she can study ... Something joyful happens all the time. As a result, it turns out that we have much more good than bad.”

Varvara Turova, actress, social activist: "No one is obliged to help anyone"

“It’s interesting to me, because every person is interested in doing what he can do. If I see that, thanks to my actions, a person is alive, but could be dead, or a person is free, but could be in prison, it turns me on incredibly. But there is a deceit in this, fate deceives us, because after the first success it seems that it will always be like this, and it will be like that once out of ten. A lot of things don't work out. But what happens, brings such satisfaction that I want to continue.

There is no good word in Russian to define my status. No matter how we say “social activist” or “human rights defender”, it still turns out to be a Komsomol worker, a pioneer. And this immediately leads to another meaning, which is read by many when I write about something, for example, on Facebook - ardor. And in the most unfavorable sense, something like idiocy, and I would not like to think that I make such an impression. In fact, I am a rather pragmatic person, as a rule, there is always a specific meaning and purpose in my actions. And if, relatively speaking, I stand on a stool and start screaming very loudly, I do it on purpose, knowing full well why. For example, I understand that I need to write in such a way as to attract as much attention as possible. Or I need to get the attention of specific people. Then I need to make a big fuss so that they get it too. And it works.

I can't say that it's hard for me to do this. That is why I feel embarrassed when they begin to praise me. It all started by chance. In my opinion, it was inconvenient or embarrassing for me to refuse ... And then, when it turned out, I was hooked. Now a lot of people write to me. And this is my biggest problem. Because desperate people turn to me, including those who have sick children, and I can’t imagine anything worse. And they literally write the following: "There is only one hope for you." There are many, many such people, I receive 20 letters a day ... There is a big risk of saying: “I can’t help everyone ...” The main thing here is intonation. In no case should you pronounce these words, rolling (from fatigue) eyes. I hope that I am catching this process in myself, because it is terribly important not to lose the ability to hear people. I really can’t help everyone, but sometimes it helps if I just answer them, honestly say that I don’t know how and what to write to them, how to refuse ... But it becomes easier for them simply because they are not indifferent to them. Many do not need money, but support, because they feel alone and lost. Giving support to me is much more difficult than writing a post on Facebook so that people start transferring money. Everything is simple: you need to talk about it regularly and loudly. And without aggression: no one is obliged to help anyone. This is a very important thing. Once you forget about it, people stop responding.”

Tatyana Krasnova, lecturer at the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University, coordinator of the Envelope for God community**, co-founder of the Galchonok Foundation: "It's a strong drug"

“Most things I do for my own pleasure. I really like being a decent person, and I like myself when I manage to behave decently. And this means - do not offend, do not get angry, help, improve, correct. I am convinced that this is a strong "drug" - a feeling of satisfaction from one's own behavior. And it is not unique to me alone. Children are often brought to our charity meetings. I will tell you an amazing story. Once a boy of about five came to us. His mother brought money for the treatment of the same five-year-old boy, but with cancer, a Tajik from a poor village. And her son brought his best car as a gift to this unknown boy. New. Packaged. He felt sorry for the car, but his mother told him about the sick boy, and he decided. Brought. Gave the most expensive - almost crying. If only you knew how we praised him! We told him that he had done something incredibly important. And he was happy. Moreover, he wanted to repeat this amazing feat. He comes to us with his beautiful mother. He draws pictures for our wards. I think his mother is raising a great son who knows well what real joy is. In fact, everything is done for her sake. ”

Charity or charity. The Lord Himself spoke in great detail about how to give alms, what principles to be guided by, and how to keep one's heart at the same time. Therefore, it is not worth inventing something from yourself. Everything has already been said.

“Every good work and every perfect gift is from above, from the Father of lights…” (James 1:17).

So: good deeds are one of the main deeds in the life of a Christian.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7).

And again: “Be careful not to do your charity before people so that they see you…” (Matt. 6:1).

“With you, when you do alms, let your left hand not know what your right hand is doing…” (Matt. 6:3).

These are the basic principles that should guide a Christian who wants to do good deeds and at the same time receive a reward not from people, but from God, and even better, who wants to do good deeds not for the sake of reward, but for the love of God.

With this, everything is clear, some will say. Someone will say that this is what I do, and the Lord knows my deeds, they are all before him, and not before people. And it will be right.

Now about foundations, charitable foundations. What do they have to do with all these biblical principles. Many now say that what are all these funds for, they are not needed, all this is commerce and profit. It is better to provide targeted assistance from hand to hand. As experience shows, this is said by people either who do not want to do good deeds and justify themselves in such a cunning way, or who do not understand the very principle of the work of funds, who do not understand their need.

In this article, in no way do I want to belittle the importance of personal targeted assistance, I just want to explain the significance of the work of the charitable foundation. I want people to understand the benefits of both forms of charity. And of course, so that they don’t judge what they don’t know and what they don’t understand much about.

I’ll make a reservation right away that we, as a foundation, “trumpet” our deeds, but not in order to get praise from people, but because we do alms with the wrong hands, therefore, we are obliged to report to the donors.

Two mites or with the world on a string

Yes, to provide targeted assistance or, as they say, help from hand to hand - this is the same almsgiving and good deed that the Lord speaks about. But there are some nuances.

First, in order to provide targeted assistance, you need to have significant funds for this assistance to be really help. For example, you can bring a package of groceries to a poor family or even buy the necessary clothes, but can you fix their apartment or even buy them a house, buy them a car or household appliances, or pay for expensive medical treatment? Most likely, an ordinary person will not be able to do this.

Therefore, here such a charitable structure as a fund can come to the rescue, into which funds from a variety of people flow. The principle of operation of any fund is with the world on a thread, a naked shirt.

Now let's get back to the Gospel. When Christ watched the people put offerings into the treasury, remember what he said about the poor widow's two mites. The same mites very often come to our fund, the spiritual meaning of which the Lord has especially emphasized. Very often fifty or one hundred rubles are transferred to us by a retired grandmother with a request to help this or that family.

Such mites always touch to the core. And if 50 or 100 rubles won’t do the trick for a particular family, this is understandable, but for the donors of such sums, this is a huge spiritual benefit, and for our wards, this is exactly what the world has to say.

The second point: the fund is a kind of guarantor that help will really come to people in need, and not to scammers. People, donating their funds, still do not want their funds to be used by dishonest dodgers. And there are a lot of those who want easy money.

Help, we ourselves are not local

Yes, that is why we have to have a staff of employees and volunteers so that the money that was entrusted to us for those in need does not fall into the hands of “non-locals”. There are a lot of such dubious appeals. Outright scammers often call, tell some long deplorable story: the whole family is mortally ill, the house burned down, they drove them out of the apartment. Some have such a rich imagination that it's time to write adventure detective stories.

Usually such people rely on fleeting pity, the so-called "stories designed for a fool." Moreover, the victims of such tricksters, as a rule, are not foundations, but those very good-natured and trusting people who are used to not trusting foundations, but to help anyone who asks.

At the most superficial check, the deceit is quickly revealed, and people suddenly disappear.

There are more complex cases where some quirky types hide behind the names and stories of real people. Again, the check immediately shows the presence of deception. That is, they collect for the needs of a certain widow with many children or a sick priest, they say that they have various blessings for this activity, they are usually very convincing and persistent. Donations are collected, but nothing or almost nothing comes to this family. When you start to check their activities, they behave very aggressively, they categorically refuse to give the contacts of their “wards” under various pretexts that there is no need to disturb a sick priest or a heartbroken widow.

There is a third category - these are people who really need or once needed, but were carried away by fundraising, like a kind of business. Such people organize entire fundraising campaigns on the Internet, asking for massive urgent reposts and reposts. They post information about themselves wherever possible on various websites and resources, write letters to commercial and charitable organizations. These are even more difficult to check, I mean to check for a simple person.

People trust reposts, thinking that the information comes from first hand, and that the user who posts information and details on his page on social networks knows exactly what he is posting. Therein lies the trap. That is, by clicking on the repost, everyone thinks that the information is reliable and has been verified before me.

Again, the foundation has to do a lot of work to understand how much this family needs, whether they really had a problem, and that is why people are so active in the networks, or are they just professional alms-gatherers.

It happens that a fundraiser is indeed announced for a certain family, but when the amount received has already been collected, people cannot stop. Some honestly write that the amount has been collected, do not send more, help other people in need, while others continue to collect money out of habit, out of inertia, out of fear of being again on the verge of poverty or out of a desire for a well-fed, easy life. I am writing this not to condemn anyone, but to explain what the funds actually do, what work they have to do in order to understand the degree of need of those in need.

And for this, the fund needs to deal with paperwork, first of all, collect documents confirming the identity of those who ask for help and the degree of need. By the way, it is at the stage of collecting documents that many potential wards for some reason disappear. And then a personal acquaintance follows, volunteers join, who go to visit the family, get to know each other, see what is called, with their own eyes, the situation in the family. I will not further bore the reader with verification methods. I wrote this only so that people understand that checking information is by no means an easy task.

Our families

Let me remind you that our foundation specializes in helping widows of priests and some priestly families who find themselves in a difficult life situation.

Personally, our foundation works on the principle of informal assistance. We try to find out as much information about a particular family as possible. Really informal help means informal relations with our wards. Accordingly, assistance is provided both monthly and purely targeted.

What is target? Well, this is, for example, when you need to buy a car, because in a given situation in a given family, a car is not a luxury or even a means of transportation, but a vital unit. We had cases when we bought cars for widows, helped to sell an old car. Often, a single woman with many children cannot afford to sell a car, she can be deceived, given a price much lower than the market price.

I am not arguing here hypothetically, but on a specific example, when a car was bought for one widow, her old car, which was left from the father, was also sold at the same time. It was necessary to buy a good one, with the best combination of price and quality, check it at the service, buy winter tires, overtake this car in its city. This great work was done by the foundation and a volunteer who actively helped, went to the ads, looked at the cars…

Families do become our. So, using the car as an example, you could just transfer the difference in money and tell your mother that sell the old one and buy a new one. But I repeat, such work is beyond the power of a woman.

Or here's another example with construction sites and builders. It is necessary to make repairs or build, and again, it is difficult for a woman to do all this herself, even if she has financial means. And workers, seeing the helpless position of their customer, can take advantage of this, set a price higher than it really is. Therefore, we have to check, control, and again, this is the work of the fund.

And I want to talk about the donors. Among the donors are not only pensioner grandmothers, the very ones who bring biblical mite for orphans, but also very wealthy people. They, having a lot of care and worries, are not able to provide targeted assistance to anyone, they are not able to look for a car or an apartment on the market, they can provide the material side of the issue, and all the routine, all checks, work with documents go to the employees of the fund . So it was with the purchase of apartments for widows. When the benefactor gave the necessary amount to buy an apartment, he asked the foundation to do the rest of the work. And we did it.

Therefore, the foundation and our wards are almost like one family. We congratulate each other on the holidays, rejoice in the joys, and most importantly, we have a common prayer support. If something happens to someone, we immediately send a mailing to mothers with a request to pray. And of course, mothers pray for our benefactors, who keep the work of the fund. And common prayer is the most important thing.

Things: or you are the same fund, you must

I want to talk about things. Why am I bringing this up? Because people often attach great importance to the collection of different things. It seems to some that this is almost the greatest thing in charity. That is, someone wants to be dishonest, and at the same time think that he has done alms, has done good to a poor person with his old rags. Why am I writing this so rudely? I will say right away that I am not against charity with old things, if the question concerns only the homeless. Yes, for a homeless man, let's say, an old, but warm and solid coat is vital, and it does not matter to him that it is twenty years old, worn on the back and out of fashion long ago.

But our foundation does not deal with homeless people and, accordingly, does not deal with used clothes, because we have mothers and their children, not vagrants.

However, very often they call and say something like this: I packed my things, it’s a pity to throw them away, I want to donate them to your foundation. We say that it does not deal with second-hand things - they are offended: why, you are a fund, you must.

We explain that things can be taken to the trash heap or to the station, to those who will gladly take them from you. They are offended again: but I don’t want the homeless, I want to donate to the mothers, and the enumeration of crimplen jackets, “goodbye youth” boots, nightgowns and combinations, and other things begins ... When you explain again that such things belong in the garbage, they are again offended and with words "you are the fund" hang up.

I don't understand why if we are a fund, then we should. No, we ourselves decide how and with whom to work according to what principles and what strategy to choose.

There are special organizations that collect and sort such things, of course, this is also charity and that's good. And this is necessary for someone, especially the collection and exchange of children's things, but this requires a special room, special personnel. Our foundation will definitely not do this.

If we do things, then only sending out new ones. We have philanthropists who donated to us a lot of high-quality and modern things, in which it is not a shame to dress a child. After all, new things are different.

Joy

Doing a good deed is always a great joy, even if you are just an intermediary. I always tell our employees that our foundation works and will try to work according to the evangelical principle: we are slaves, worthless, doing what needs to be done.

Yes, it needs to be done. And to do it, remembering these gospel words, so as not to think too much about ourselves, not to think that we are doing something great or exceptional. We do what needs to be done.

It is very joyful to see our mothers, when it turns out to work together to solve this or that problem, it turns out to help. The main thing is to informally help, each case is like our own, we experience it, we live it. You do and you get joy as a reward, from the fact that others feel good or a little better.