The Red Cross does not charge people for their services but if they obtain money thru fraud then it has to be paid back. Ask the Katrina victims how many of them got sheltered for a loooooong time after it happened? How did they get clothes? Food? Medications? How did they reconnect with lost family members? Thru the Red Cross at a whopping cost of: $0.00. I have worked and volunteered with the Red Cross for over 20 yrs and the only people who believe the crazy stories are the ones who have never been involved with them or taken time to research their history. I have passed out free fire alarms to neighborhoods after a local fire, I worked in the intake area when Katrina happened, I repeatedly logged over 80 hrs a week during the whole Katrina disaster, I manned the phones for people looking for their family members, i have taught our local schools and communities lifesaving CPR and lifeguarding classes, i have passed out food and blankets to our homeless community, i have done health screenings for free for our seniors and others who have limited incomes. My children volunteer for the Red Cross just like I did when I was their age. I believe in the American Red Cross. Thats only touching down on the American Red Cross, here, close to home....how often is the Red Cross involved in human rights issues across the world, peacekeeping missions, rescue missions? The Red Cross is a wonderful organization and i stand behind them 100%. There have been some people who have made their mistakes, we have seen the headlines but it's not the fault of the Red Cross that some bad apples made it in. The group as a whole is top notch with wonderful volunteers and employees who would do anything they could to help another person in need.

My personal experience with The Red Cross was around 4 years ago when my sister and brother-in-law were flooded out of their home in Massachusetts. The Red Cross provided shelter for every family in the neighborhood, as every home was destroyed and eventually leveled completely. They also provided certificates to certain local retailers for mattresses, and certificates to The Salvation Army for furniture and clothing. They not only set up a cafeteria at the local High School and fed the flood victims for free, they insisted on feeding family and friends who had been working all day trying to help victims salvage any personal belongings, and they had clothing and shoes and canned goods and baby formula and diapers and toiletries that they distributed to those in need. The Red Cross really came through for those victims. FEMA and MEMA on the otherhand...

Thanks for making that clearer ~Jen~... The way ~Katrina~ stated it made them sound like a bad orginization, although ~Katrina~ must of been misinformed... Interesting information though! I diden't know that.

The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization. ALL DISASTER ASSISTANCE FREE, it even says so on the emergency response vehicles that dispense the food to disaster victims. Here is some clarification from the Red Cross FAQ regarding veterans paying for donuts: Q: I heard that the Red Cross required servicemen to pay for coffee and donuts during World War II. Is that true? A: While it is true, the reasons for it are not well-known. All English and Australian men in uniform had to pay for off-base food and lodging because voluntary giving (which is characteristic of the United States) was not the pattern in other countries. The Red Cross was asked by the government to establish club facilities for U.S. servicemen overseas where troops for Allied forces would be welcome. The British high command then made an official request that U.S. servicemen be required to pay for whatever they received, just as the British and Australians had to pay. The Red Cross was adamantly opposed to this concept and protested vehemently. They lost the fight, however, when a letter of "request" came from Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson to Norman H. Davis, Chairman of the American Red Cross on March 20, 1942. His letter was tantamount to a command with which the Red Cross complied. The organization has been living with the ramifications of this request ever since. Don't be so quick to judge - when it comes down to it, people need help, and that's what the Red Cross is there for. I think this is a great cause.

Red Cross, I hate to bring this up but ask people at these hurricanes if they had to pay for dounuts from the Red Cross. Also veterans will tell you that if the Red Cross got them home during an emergency or got a blood transfusion for them it came out of their pay. This is why I will never again give to the Red Cross. Thannks