I picked up a book that had been on my nightstand for months, and found it so appropriate to this moment. The book is called We Fed an Island, by Jose Andres. Jose is a celebrity chef from Washington, D.C., who went to the aid of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. He helped rebuild Puerto Rico, as he says, one meal at a time. He talks a lot about the problems dealing with bureaucracy, and found that working with people in Puerto Rico was much more effective than working with government bureaucrats. He talks about the millions and millions of donated dollars that are wasted and stolen.
Jose talks about the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief as being the BEST organization for getting food and meals to locals in time of disaster. I checked them out. After the Red Cross and Salvation Army, they are the third largest relief organization in the world. They may be third, but they are best at getting thousands of meals quickly to those in need.
It all began in 1968 when Texas Baptists assisted victims of Hurricane Bulah. Now, they are helping people all over the world who need food, shelter and water. SBDR is owned and operated by state conventions, local associations, and churches. They work alongside federal agencies like FEMA, but receive no federal funding or reimbursement.
If you're in a giving mood and want to help Ukraine, you might want to check out SBDR. I always look to give to organizations that aren't top heavy with administrative costs. This war is a humanitarian disaster. I hope the people of the world step up and give.
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