Fundraiser litmus test... or free soup!
Dec. 6th, 2004 08:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mandolinHere's something I'd have shared on Saturday if I wasn't going bonkers over eBay stuff.
Every once in a while, there's somebody walking up and down the grassy divider on Route 40 with a bucket proclaiming to be collecting for some charity. Now I personally hate this - strictly because you can NOT tell if the person is legit or if they're pulling a fast one. I've seen school fundraising drives at, say, the Wal-Mart, and I'll give a buck to those, because I know that they need permission to do that there or Wal-Mart will kick them off the premises. But Route 40 has no such restriction. Anybody can solicit and risk their lives out there.
Saturday's batch was a trio of teenagers with buckets, two girls and one kid dressed up in an eagle costume. They were collecting from the line of cars stopped at the light I'd use to turn back into my apartment complex. I wouldn't have paid any attention as I headed to the grocery store if not for the one in the costume - and then noticed that the buckets said "CANNED FOOD DRIVE."
Hm. Maybe I could put this to the test.
So I ran to the store, got my purchases - part of which were several cans of soup on sale. I put my bags back in the car and separated four cans in a plastic bag on the passenger seat. Naturally, the line of cars waiting to turn left was backed up, and the kids were still out there. I rolled down my window, waited til the other two were farther up the line, and flagged down the one girl closest to me. "Hey, do you guys take canned food too?"
She blinked. She grinned. "Oh, yeah! Sure!"
I promptly put the bag of soup cans into the bucket.
Well, I guess it was legit... if not, I don't feel quite so bad about giving away free soup. :)
Every once in a while, there's somebody walking up and down the grassy divider on Route 40 with a bucket proclaiming to be collecting for some charity. Now I personally hate this - strictly because you can NOT tell if the person is legit or if they're pulling a fast one. I've seen school fundraising drives at, say, the Wal-Mart, and I'll give a buck to those, because I know that they need permission to do that there or Wal-Mart will kick them off the premises. But Route 40 has no such restriction. Anybody can solicit and risk their lives out there.
Saturday's batch was a trio of teenagers with buckets, two girls and one kid dressed up in an eagle costume. They were collecting from the line of cars stopped at the light I'd use to turn back into my apartment complex. I wouldn't have paid any attention as I headed to the grocery store if not for the one in the costume - and then noticed that the buckets said "CANNED FOOD DRIVE."
Hm. Maybe I could put this to the test.
So I ran to the store, got my purchases - part of which were several cans of soup on sale. I put my bags back in the car and separated four cans in a plastic bag on the passenger seat. Naturally, the line of cars waiting to turn left was backed up, and the kids were still out there. I rolled down my window, waited til the other two were farther up the line, and flagged down the one girl closest to me. "Hey, do you guys take canned food too?"
She blinked. She grinned. "Oh, yeah! Sure!"
I promptly put the bag of soup cans into the bucket.
Well, I guess it was legit... if not, I don't feel quite so bad about giving away free soup. :)
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^_^
Date: 2004-12-06 09:13 pm (UTC)