Tim McGraw: A Man of Passion Who Loves to Help People

When talking about Tim McGraw and his passion to help people, it’s natural to include his wife, Faith Hill. After Katrina hit, the couple made it their mission and ensured that truckloads of relief items reached the Gulf Area. It was after seeing Katrina’s effect throughout the Gulf that the couple expanded the mission of the Neighbor’s Keeper Foundation they created in 2004.

McGraw Creates Neighbor’s Keeper to Help People

After Katrina, Neighbor’s Keeper began looking for local organizations that could address the mental health needs of the children traumatized by Katrina’s effects. Neighbor’s Keeper found the Community Initiatives Foundation and contributed $1 million to the organization’s project.

Now primarily focused on children’s initiatives, Neighbor’s Keeper continues to work through organizations that are already providing relief to communities to help people in need. This is the founding principle of Neighbor’s Keeper – neighbors helping neighbors – and, according to Tim, “We can go straight to the heart of the problem, identify a problem or a situation and put funds directly into it, without any red tape, without any overhead, any committee.”

But Neighbor’s Keeper isn’t the only focus of Tim McGraw’s philanthropic commitment and mission to help people.  Among others, he has supported Andre Agassi’s Foundation for Education, MusiCares, Musicians on Call, the Muhammed Ali Parkinson Center, the End Hunger Network and the Tug McGraw Foundation (TMF). TMF was founded by Tim’s father and is dedicated to making the lives better of children and adults who have suffered brain injury. Just last month, Tim received one of three 2010 True Ally awards presented at the Men Stopping Violence Annual Awards Dinner. Recipients of this award are men who work to further safety, respect and equality for women.

Microgiving.com recognizes Tim McGraw as a man of integrity and with a passion to help people in need. Like McGraw, Microgiving is dedicated to helping people through charitable acts.  If you would like to help people through Microgiving.com as a donor – or you benefit from help as a recipient – please register at our website.

Jeff Bridges Committed to Helping People by Stopping Hunger in the US

Oscar winning actor Jeff Bridges is committed to helping people as spokesperson for the Share Our Strength (SOS) No Kid Hungry Campaign. Last week, Bridges, , whose film work was recognized this year for Crazy Heart, announced that SOS has created a month-by-month strategy stop childhood hunger in America.

Bridges Efforts of Helping People to Stop US Childhood Hunger by 2015

Bridges charitable efforts have always been directed to ending childhood hunger. According to Bridges, and his experts, one in four children in the US live in homes that do not have adequate access to healthy food. In 1983, Bridges founded the End Hunger Network (EHN). Since the founding, EHN has been provided hunger initiatives such as the Los Angeles World Hunger Event, End Hunger Televent, Live Aid, Primetime to End Hunger, Fast Forward to End Hunger, Hunger in America film, and the US Presidential End Hunger Awards. For 25 years, Bridges and EHN have been working with other celebrities and business leaders to raise awareness and fund these hunger programs.
This year, Bridges and EHN joined with the No Kid Hungry Campaign created by SOS. According to Bridges, “If we discovered another country was doing this to our children, we would declare war.” With that Bridges, EHN and SOS are battling to end childhood hunger in the US by 2015. The primary strategy for helping people is to build on already successful federal food programs and create new private and public relationships in communities throughout the nation.
Microgiving.com applauds Jeff Bridges’ efforts to stop childhood hunger in the US. Like Mr. Bridges, Microgiving is continually helping people to end family hunger by meeting their basic needs; If you would like to work with Microgiving.com and join our donors list– or you might benefit from our assistance as a recipient – please visit our website.

Matt Damon, Actor Began Helping Poor People at Age 12

No stranger to helping poor people, Matt Damon credits his belief and desire to help others to his Mom and Ghandi.  His mother kept a refrigerator magnet that displayed a picture and quote from Ghandi, “No matter how insignificant what you do may seem, it is important that you do it.”  And his Mom set the model response by giving time and money to several different causes.  So, at the age of 12, Damon would contribute a portion of his $5 weekly allowance to one of those causes.

Damon’s Childhood of Helping Poor People Grew with Him,

Damon’s commitment to helping people has continued to grow with age and his success as an actor.  He now uses his increased resources to support several charities; all dedicated to sustainable change.  Along with six others, Damon co-founded H20 Africa to address the water crisis across Africa and in collaboration with the film project, Running the Sahara.  He broadened those efforts, helping people internationally, by co-founding Water.org with Gary White in 2009; the mission is to improve community water infrastructures throughout Latin America, Asia and Africa.

Along with his charities dedicated to improving water and sanitation, Matt supports OneXOne.  The organization’s goal is to improve the lives of children globally, including the US and Canada.  In the US, OneXOne supports the BackPack Program in San Francisco and Los Angeles.  School children in need are sent home for the weekend with backpacks filled with healthy food so that they will be able to eat on Saturday and Sunday.

Helping Poor People Online

Microgiving.com applauds Matt Damon’s efforts as an activist and philanthropist.  Microgiving encourages you to remember Ghandi’s words, like Damon, and believe that – no matter how small your action, you can make a difference.  Helping poor people is the greatest gift you can give in the coming season. Please consider taking action as a Microgiving online donor – or perhaps you can benefit from our assistance as a recipient – please visit our website.

Helping Poor People: Who Contributes the Most?

Bill Gates is helping poor people – along with 38 of his financial brotherhood — by donating at least half of their wealth and pledging donations to various charities. When hearing this news, did you think to yourself “what a wonderful and kind act,” or were you left feeling skeptical?

Of course, this is a wonderful gift and will increase charitable resources, helping individuals who are most in need. However, there are other things you should consider: less than one-third of charitable dollars donated are directed to helping the needy and, to a disproportionate income share, gifts directed to helping the poor actually come from those who are most in need.

The Poor Helping the Needy

Studies have shown that the gift level of the poor – as a percentage of their income – is nearly double that of people who fall into upper income brackets. It is actually the poor who are donating the most to the poor. Those who cannot afford to give more do; while those who can afford to give more to helping the needy, do not.

According to a 2007 study at Indiana University’s Center for Philanthropy, those who can afford to give more tend to donate online to foundations directed to other causes, such as their alma mater or the arts, rather than helping people in need. The Institute of Personality and Social Research believes this is so because donors prioritize their own needs first.

Essentially, the findings suggest that lower income donors are helping the needy more often because they “feel their pain” and understand their immediate need. Donors from upper income brackets are more likely to prioritize their own cultural need first rather than helping poor people directly.