Americans are responding to the wildfires that destroyed large parts of greater Los Angeles this month with courage and generosity. Evacuees are finding shelter with friends, family and strangers. Street vendors are working together outside Santa Anita Park to feed those who have fled their homes.
Many people in and out of California want to support these efforts. That’s challenging when giving to an organization for the first time, or when you’re unfamiliar with the culture or geography of a disaster area. You need friends and organizations you can trust. We are turning to our friends at California Policy Center for advice on where giving can make the most impact.
California Policy Center, a fellow free-market think tank to the Mackinac Center, has launched an important service by vetting a handful of trustworthy organizations aligned with the principles of limited government, free markets and individual liberty. For generous people with a desire to change the world, the California Policy Center is providing peace of mind that their hard-earned money will have maximum impact.
“We’ve focused for years on championing policies that prevent wildfires, but in moments like these we’re focused on relief efforts,” said Jackson Reese, executive vice president of the California Policy Center. “We’re grateful to our partners and honored that we can provide a unique resource to help the victims of this disaster.”
Americans are a charitable people. We gave more than $557 billion to charities in 2023. While government plays an important role in preparing for natural disasters, preventing them where possible through good policy, supplying emergency needs and rebuilding infrastructure, it is ordinary citizens who must band together to uplift their communities when disaster strikes. The American spirit of civil society – neighbor helping neighbor, unpaid Little League coaches, volunteer-run soup kitchens, religious associations, parent-organized school fundraisers – is strongest during emergencies. Voluntary donations support voluntary cooperation, driven by the belief that we can work together to face our country’s biggest challenges.
But the wise among the generous must discern which organizations will steward their gift effectively, honoring their philosophy and intent. Most often we turn for advice to people in our circle of trust, not to the government. Those bonds are weakened by government’s penchant for overreach. Checking that overreach is why organizations like the Mackinac Center and California Policy Center fight on.
You can support wildfire relief efforts vetted by California Policy Center here.
Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy are properly cited.
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The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a nonprofit research and educational institute that advances the principles of free markets and limited government. Through our research and education programs, we challenge government overreach and advocate for a free-market approach to public policy that frees people to realize their potential and dreams.
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