To send an email regarding nursery asking for donations to Samaritan’s Purse?

[TeddyIsaHe]

DD’s nursery are asking for donations to Samaritan’s Purse. Everything they stand for (very anti-LGBTQ and anti-Muslim) are against my beliefs. DD’s nursery is very diverse, including Muslim children.

Do I send a very chill email just explaining that? I guess they have no idea about it, which most don’t unless you do some digging.

I did this a good few years ago and both my DCs schools stopped this when they saw the true nature of the organisation

Here is one, google and you will find loads more
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samaritan%27s_Purse

I would email and ask them why they have gone with that choice and if they know who they are and what they stand for and ask how that choice fits in with british values.

I couldn't and wouldn't support this charity, I wont support Franklin Graham. I have told people this, most people haven't got a clue.

and the children don't even get the boxes at christmas, it's random times of the year, so you aren't even giving christmas presents.

@CaraDuneRedux

Agree with taking approach of "it's a lovely idea, here are some reputable charities" e.g. rotary club.

Btw be prepared for this thread to go pfft - Samaritans Purse have lawyers like Rottweilers and have threatened MN with legal action in previous years.

This tells us a lot when we cannot discuss things in a truthful way without the threat of legal action. This alone is enough to put me off, never mind how their distribute their charitable funds or what they stand for.

There may be an old thread around that has some useful links, but I think most of them were in the old Chat and disappeared after 90 days.

But I thnk the best links were on the US site, not the UK site. Because they're more open in the US about what they do, whereas in the UK they're more covert.

NBC and other news outlets have done loads of reports on them over the decades in the US.

Some info on the boss man himself
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Graham#Support_of_the_Iraq_War

Lol before anyone says, I know Wiki isn't always accurate, however, from the info within it gives you starting points to start googling for additional links

Awful charity, using donated toys to convert children of from other faiths.
I can only imagine if that happened over here and Islamic charities began trying to aggressively convert Christian children.

Our local hospital is collecting shoe boxes for elderly people who will be alone over Christmas so I have done one for that.

Say something. My old workplace (a public body - very hot on equality) used to do their shoebox appeal until I pointed out how bad the organisation's agenda was. The lovely woman running it was absolutely horrified - she had no idea!

YANBU I did the same to my son's secondary school a couple of years ago, he was asked to bring stuff in for a Samaritan's Purse donation and I explained to him why I wouldn't want to donate to them. I also emailed his tutor, who said she had no idea and would pass on my comments to the person who was organising it. I don't think I was the only one to flag it, and the school did Trussel Trust donations instead.

Please do. They’re horrendous. In my opinion.

Just read that Wiki link - in 2014 they threatened to sue Mumsnet!

Yes, please let them know. When I was Brown Owl we used to do this with the Brownies annually, as I had absolutely no idea about what went on, and on the surface it’s a seemingly wonderful cause! I came across some comments online by chance and once I delved deeper we stopped immediately and supported local causes instead. I think most people have no idea - so so flag up!!

I think, unfortunately, Samaritans purse is such a ubiquitous charity that it is the first one that many people think of for the Christmas shoeboxes.

There’s some lovely charities, such as women’s aid, that will happily take gifts at this time of year.

Please say something. It's often the case that schools/nurseries simply don't know the background to this organisation, and haven't really thought about it.

When my daughter's CE secondary school proposed this, I wrote them a very polite note listing my objections, with links to articles such as this www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/nov/08/christmas-evangelical-christians-samaritans-purse-children-muslim-countries. To their immense credit, they took everything on board and never again supported that charity.

Good luck

I was shocked to learn of the involvement of Samaritan's Purse in Operation Christmas Child and I know lots of people are still clueless. Yes, please email.

I live in the area that Operation Christmas Child started about 20 years ago - at the time there was a lot of footage in the media from Romanian orphanages. When it started, it was simply people putting shoe boxes of gifts together and sending them to Romania. I used to love going with my mum to buy things to put in them. It appears that Samaritan's Purse got involved a few years later.

Looking at the Samaritan's Purse website, these early years don't seem to exist. I know a lot of people here remember the early beginnings and don't know about the change so there is still a lot of support for OCC.

This link gives you the issues and some good alternatives from a reputable source (the British’s humanist Society):
humanism.org.uk/humanism/humanism-today/humanists-doing/good-causes-and-charities/samaritans-purse/

I used an email and this link successfully to persuade DCs’ primary school to change to an alternative.

PrayingandHoping

Just a heads up. I usually send gifts to me local refuge, this year they are asking for cash because of covid.

I put a link above that I support, I think we should be supporting our local charities this year as many have extra needs now, especially those involving homelessness.

If you have a Dunelm nearby, they are running a Christmas shoebox appeal to help local causes - at mine the shoeboxes are going to local carehomes, while my mum's nearest is supporting underprivileged children at local primary schools - might be worth a look?

There is nothing to stop them doing their own equivalent of a shoe box for the local community if nothing set up and try to reach the most vulnerable. Something along the lines of Harvest festival, just for Christmas.

Local Coops and Waitrose usually do things for local groups.

Another often overlooked group is young people in homes. Unless the staff cobbled something together I don't remember actually getting anything. When I was working with young people with additional needs, unless they had family/friends, it was the still the same.

Another request here to support Rotary club although they might not be running them this year, I’m told not here in the north west. Our church dropped operation Christmas child because of the issues with Samaritan’s purse a few years ago. Rotary club shoeboxes are provided , £2 to stick on to cover transport. They do a baby one and household one as well as kids one. The boxes are plain but you’re encouraged to decorate them.

YABU. Don’t take part if you don’t want to, but don’t stop others from being generous.

@CraftyGin

Just have a reread and see how many people do not know what they are giving to and are appalled when they find out.

It is not to do with generosity, it is to do with ethics.