What is a great charity to donate money to?

[Anonymous]

I love to give to DonorsChoose. Teachers post projects they need money for in their classrooms and you donate to help fund those projects. For every project I've donated to, I've received thank you notes from both the teacher and her students. Some teachers have even sent me pictures of their students with, for example, some of the books I've funded.

[Anonymous]

I am a teacher and many of my teacher friends have used Donors Choose. They are extremely grateful for everything! People assume that classroom libraries and supplies are provided with funds by the school. At my schools, nearly 90% of kids get a free lunch so we cannot even ask for students to bring in school supplies. Some parents do bring in some supplies but they run out by Thanksgiving. The teacher then has to use his/her own money for the rest of it. I have been lucky that my friends/family have donated many children's books for my classroom library. I usually spend around $100/year on books/magazines for my classroom and my first year, I easily spent $700 on getting everything for my classroom. I would definitely recommend supporting a local Title One school or a classroom through Donors Choose.

[Anonymous]

Since the economy went South, I've been donating mostly to local food banks. I feel like it's really important to make sure families are able to eat. (Bread for the City, Arlington Food Assistance Center, Miriam's Kitchen.) I also donate to a couple of local shelters because I think that's really important as well. (Rachael's women's shelter, DC Central Mission.)