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LETTER: Donate the right way

Canadian Red Cross has a sign up that says, “Together we can do more, help support Ukrainian Humanitarian Crisis Appeal. We will match all contributions up to $100,000.”
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Canadian Red Cross has a sign up that says, “Together we can do more, help support Ukrainian Humanitarian Crisis Appeal. We will match all contributions up to $100,000.”

Really, that’s it? And where will the $100,000 go? A quick reference shows the Red Cross has approximately $300 million of donated money in emergency funds in the bank, probably much more than that. By my calculations, $100,000 is 0.033 per cent of $300 million.

Hoarded money in the bank does not help anybody, and if the Ukrainian situation isn’t an emergency, then I don’t know what is.

In contrast, there are children in the UK, selling cookies and cupcakes, with 100 per cent of their proceeds going towards buying medical supplies, and their parents are buying and refurbishing ambulances and driving those medical supplies to Ukraine by themselves. Now that is doing more. My money is going to those kids.

John Ianson

Victoria