Move over, Weird Al. ALAN’s offbeat songwriter is back – and this time she’s decided to tackle one of the biggest donation challenges that relief organizations face, especially after disasters like hurricanes.
(Sing to the tune of “I Will Survive”)
At first it seemed so great – a collection drive!
My water and canned goods would help survivors thrive
But after seeing the big pile of “help” that was received
Still stuck here
I knew I’d been deceived
Now it sits
Collecting dust
There’s no way to deliver it
My good deed was a bust
I should’ve listened to advice
That said gifts of cash were key
The last thing first responders need
Is random things from me
So if you want
To help out more
With post-disaster efforts
Don’t collect goods anymore
Relief groups on the ground have bigger fish to fry
They’ll only grumble
If unneeded goods arrive
So no, collection drives
There are better ways to show your love to those who have survived
If you’ve got some cash to spare
Or some trucks and lifts to share
Give those instead
Give those instead
Yeah yeah no
Collection drives . . .
We could go on. But you probably get the idea. This Hurricane Season, please resist the urge to participate in product collection drives or to self-deploy to disaster sites. While the intentions behind these efforts are good, they often create more challenges than they solve, because they tend to get in the way of responders who are working to save lives – and add confusion to an emergency supply chain that is already under tremendous strain. If you’re looking for a meaningful way to help, pick a humanitarian organization and collect money for it instead. Such donations will be much more useful and efficient – and far more likely to actually reach and help storm survivors.
Lori Lockman
Communications Director
American Logistics Aid Network
