1) The abused animals commercial
2) Starving Kids-- either elsewhere on the planet or here in America
3) Kids with cancer or other terminal illness

So much for mindless escapism when you are reminded of the harshness and cruelness that can and happen in this world.

1) The abused animals commercial( I have to turn the channel every time I see this or else get teary eyed
2) Starving Kids-- either elsewhere on the planet or here in America
3) Kids with cancer or either terminal illness

So much for mindless escapism when you are reminded of the harshness and cruelness that can and happen in this world.

I change the channel when those ads plays. I simply can't watch them. I give what I can to them, but it's not as much as I did before.

I don't watch those commercials either...it's not like I don't care it's just that these commercials are TOO depressing.

DON'T cave in to those commercials! :eek: If you want to help children like these donate to a reputable charity, perhaps through your church. Some of the "Charities" you see on TV are outright SCAMS, only a Fraction of the money you donate goes to these kids. Guess who gets the Lion's share? Also, you get REAMED with Junk Mail, Telemarketing Calls and SPAM. :mad: :angryfire

DON'T cave in to those commercials! :eek: If you want to help children like these donate to a reputable charity, perhaps through your church. Some of the "Charities" you see on TV are outright SCAMS, only a Fraction of the money you donate goes to these kids. Guess who gets the Lion's share? Also, you get REAMED with Junk Mail, Telemarketing Calls and SPAM. :mad: :angryfire

The abused animals commercials are for the ASPCA. I highly doubt that is a scam. Despite that, I figure the ASPCA gets millions in donations from all over I rather just donate supplies to my local animal shelter. But I agree, too, can't watch those animal commercials, either, and they just happen to show them alot on my favorite channels!!:rolleyes:

Haven't seen the one for abused animals, so I cannot comment on that one, but my mother made the mistake of going for one of those "Help Starving Kids" charities in the 1980s, and it was a BAD Mistake. The amount of Junk Mail we received increased exponentially, and we were hit with so many telemarketing calls we had the Phone Company change our number. From that point on my policy for charities is "Don't Call me, I'll Call You!" :lol:

The abused animals commercials are for the ASPCA. I highly doubt that is a scam. Despite that, I figure the ASPCA gets millions in donations from all over I rather just donate supplies to my local animal shelter. But I agree, too, can't watch those animal commercials, either, and they just happen to show them alot on my favorite channels!!:rolleyes:

Phoebe, you hit the nail on the head! As someone who has worked at an animal shelter, I can tell you firsthand that they do not get donations from the ASPCA or HSUS, even if the word "Humane" is in their name. You are doing the right thing; always give locally. Non profit and municipal shelters are being hit especially hard now due to the economy and any donations, monetary or in kind are valued.

Thank you for taking the time to help animals in need. :)

Those are hard to watch.

The best way to see if a charity is worth your donations is to check out their rating on charitynavigator.org. It's the best way to make an informed decision.