I am curious about atheist and non-Christian charity organizations?
I’m from a WASPy town and haven’t had contact with many non-Christians. I’m not trying to be rude or insulting, I just want info.
Christian churches & organizations like the Salvation Army and the Christian Children’s Fund do so much for people of all faiths. They run soup kitchens & homeless shelters, provide food & medical care for refugees, facilitate adoptions, have coat & blanket drives for needy persons, run community food pantries, organize after school & summer programs for kids, provide free counseling for troubled marriages and depressed individuals. When my friend had surgery & couldn’t care for her family, members of her church came into her home & took care of the cooking, laundy, & housework for her. Often, the services are available to people regardless of their religious beliefs.
What do non-Christians for for the less fortunate? Do they provide the same for those who don’t share their beliefs, or do you have to belong to their faith/group to qualify for benefits?
There are a great many Jewish charities… International Fellowship of Christans and Jews is one, United Jewish Appeal is another,
There are several Islamic Charities in the US, many of them are under investigation for supporting terrorists.
I know of no Atheist charities.
It doesn’t matter to me if an organization is Christian founded or not—just depends what their mission is.
Some favorites…
Heifer International
The American Red Cross is not affiliated with any religious organization and they provide food and shelter, and sometimes medical care, to people during times of disasters. I don’t just mean national disasters like hurricanes and floods but we also do local disaster work such as helping local families that have had fires or local floods, tornados, etc. The organizaton also offers classes in disaster training, babysitting, CPR, lifeguarding and water safety. Sometimes we just provide food and drinks to fire fighters at the scene of a forest fire or referrals to people to other organizations that can help them with things we cannot, such as medical replacement items, permanent housing, clothing, etc. We also provide a means for military families to contact their loved ones overseas in the event of a family emergency.
So here’s another non-Christian chairity organization that I personally volunteer for and Ithink is wonderful.
I’m not aware of any charities that are strictly atheist. I’ve worked with many organizations that were either secular (not associated with any religious group) or non-denominational (using different religious groups and groups that were secular working together).
These groups serve people; religious faith or beliefs has nothing to do with qualifying for the services provided:
Jenyfer J described what a local Red Cross can do very well, and many local chapters provide other services that Jenyfer didn’t mention. The Red Cross movement is international, and provides many services:
American Red Cross
International Committee of Red Cross
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Here are a few of the many other secular charities:
Parnters in Health
Second Harvest Food Bank
Hands On Network
Here is an example of a non-Denominational group, where people of different faiths and secular groups can work together:
Habitat for Humanitiy
There are also many non-Christian religious charities. LIke many Christian charities, these groups serve all in need, but base their service on their faith. Here are two:
Jewish Community Centers Association of North America
Tzu Chi Foundation, Buddhist Compassion Relief
Check at your local Unitarian Church. They are pagan.