Dumb people shouldn't start charities, especially for toys-for-children efforts. There's one here that had been posting for assistance every few days on Craigslist, with a link to their website. They are evidently trying for non-profit 501c or whatever status. (Or maybe they're just fantasizing about it.) Since I was looking for something of the sort to donate to, I looked it up.

I was puzzled by the content of the site. It does not explain who they are or where they are located; it doesn't have any mailing address for donations, either.

The website's registration of its domain name is hidden. It is also a .com, not a .org. Then the site itself lists first and last names of the children they want to help, along with age, gender, clothes sizes and their favorite toys.

The kids' privacy is absolutely being trashed. But somehow they have a couple of corporate sponsors.

Also weird is that they posted some requests from kids for items that, in another section, they instruct families not to ask for: Prepaid cell phone, xbox 360 games(cost about $60 each) and other video games.

It is late for it, but maybe Toys for Tots still is taking items. These Polly Pocket dolls and Littlest Pet Shop that I have here just aren't my thing. The Nerf gun, however! (Yes, I actually bought a nerf gun for someone. Bad, I know.)

Originally, I was planning to give some items to two parents who posted on CL that they needed help with providing presents for their child. Since the one woman described her problem in detail, and even posted a link to a county document detailing the fact of her foreclosure, I thought she'd done enough to abase herself and decided to reply. I mean, SOMEONE got foreclosed on. I wasn't concerned about determining if she were a saint; she'd taken the risk of providing her name, and that seemed like enough to me.

But people on CL flagged her post and got it removed. I can't find anything from her at all now. They are rather flag-happy on the Pittsburgh site, and I'm sure it isn't always necessary.
The second parent, a man with a preteen daughter, must have been flagged too. Can't find the post.

There is also that charity that sends presents to the children of prisoners. I think maybe that is preferable. I like the idea of preventing kids from feeling shabby and unthought-of.