The Sarasota community with surrounding counties comes together every year at this time to support an unusual philanthropic partnership initiated by the Sarasota Herald Tribune and the Community Foundation of Sarasota and now joined by other media partners called The Season of Sharing. This year marks the 20th anniversary of this important grassroots effort to prevent homelessness in our community.
To find out more about this local cause and exactly what they do, visit their website. https://www.cfsarasota.org/community-impact/community-care/season-of-sharing
Libraries offer many titles to help you better understand the complex issues of poverty, homelessness and the corresponding concern – lack of affordable housing. This has become a talking point in our local communities as governments grapple with growth and community planning.
Just a few of the many titles on the shelves in our libraries touching on this subject include:
- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
- Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America
- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, And A Mother’s Will to Survive
- Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America
- The Line: Poverty in America – a film in the DVD collection
Online, you can find current full-text articles and data on the subject in our Digital Library. Expanded Academic ASAP and General OneFile are both excellent for researching social issues.
In the summer, charities begin sending out appeal letters asking for donations to their causes. Recipients of these requests must decide if they want to respond or not. To help in evaluating nonprofit organizations and charities you’ll find some reliable assessment resources below.
The most recommended charity watchdog sites to research charities before you give are:
- BBB Wise Giving Alliance http://give.org/
- Charity Navigator https://www.charitynavigator.org/
- Charity Watch http://charitywatch.org
These nonprofit groups provide information about charities’ financial efficiency, accountability, governance, and fundraising.
Also available in the Digital Library via our magazine database Flipster are the magazines Forbes and Consumer Reports which both publish articles on evaluating charities and provide helpful tips to consumers.
Submitted by Kate Lippincott and Melanie Odom William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Public Library
