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Giving Respectfully: Tips for helping after a natural disaster · Talking FACS

• 0:01
  Welcome to Talking Facts.
• 0:03
  What you need to know about family food finance and fitness.
• 0:07
  This nationally recognized award winning podcast is hosted by the University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
• 0:16
  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals,
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  families and communities to improve quality of life.
• 0:25
  Hello and welcome to Talking Facts.
• 0:27
  What you need to know about family food finance and fitness.
• 0:31
  I am your host,
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  Mindy mccully,
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  Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Specialist for instructional support at the University of Kentucky.
• 0:39
  But we are celebrating financial literacy month and my guest today is Doctor NCO Hut Extension Specialist for family finance and resource management.
• 0:51
  Welcome,
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  Nicole.
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  Hi,
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  Mindy.
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  Thank you.
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  I'm so glad that you are here today because we're gonna talk about something that many people might not think about when it comes to financial literacy.
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  But of course,
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  it is important that we think about how we give when we are thinking about financial.
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  Yeah.
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  And,
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  and it's also part of that family resource management piece,
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  how we manage our resources and then,
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  and that includes,
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  you know,
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  our giving and so we can give financially,
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  but we can give in other ways too.
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  Sometimes after a natural disaster or emergency,
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  there is a widespread need and a desire to help those who have been most affected isn't giving what you can,
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  what's important?
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  Why is there a need to consider how to be a respectful giver?
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  You know,
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  I,
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  I think that after any time there is a natural disaster or emergency,
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  you know,
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  people wanna help and,
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  and that is a good thing but even despite the best of intentions,
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  you know,
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  most of the time,
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  what people give after a disaster just doesn't help those who,
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  who are in the most need.
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  Oftentimes what happens instead,
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  Mindy is that that communities are affected by disaster become then overwhelmed with stuff,
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  the stuff that people just want to donate again,
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  it generally comes from a place of good.
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  But what happens is communities get all these unusable in kind donations that need to be sorted and distributed and some of them needs to be discarded.
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  And that's what we have heard,
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  you know,
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  just from across the state,
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  from our agents across the state who have lived natural disaster response for the last year,
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  year and a half.
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  And,
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  and that's the theme is they get a lot of stuff and this stuff just really adds to the chaos that is just already a part of the disaster and the disaster response,
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  but it just adds a layer of chaos.
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  And so if people want to give after a natural disaster is we want to encourage people to consider ways that they can respectfully give and,
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  and what I mean by respectfully is how can we um you know,
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  use what we have our time talents,
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  energy resources to specifically address the unique needs of a community that has been affected.
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  You make me think of uh funeral potatoes that everybody takes after somebody dies.
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  And when that family gets 10 casserole,
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  dishes of potatoes,
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  there are only so many potatoes that someone can eat.
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  So what do you do with all those extras?
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  So what kind of stuff are you talking about?
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  Are we talking about clothing?
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  Are we talking about tangible items or what types of donations are the least needed after natural disasters?
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  Yeah,
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  and,
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  and so so definitely contributions come from everywhere they come from um businesses,
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  they come from local communities,
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  from households and people tend to look at what they have and go through what they don't need and give that away.
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  So you have all of the above.
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  And so recently we did a panel across the state with our S CS agents and just to hear experiences and,
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  and we heard uh stories of truckloads of sour cream that would come from a company.
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  What do we make with,
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  with truckload of sour cream?
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  And but yes,
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  you mentioned clothing and that is probably the most donated but least needed item after an emergency.
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  And that is across the board and a recommendation of fema and,
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  and other,
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  uh,
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  disaster response agencies.
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  And,
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  and again,
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  it comes from a place of good,
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  but when we go through our home or our business and,
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  and we gather our things that,
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  you know,
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  our family no longer wears wants or needs with the thought that,
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  well,
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  maybe somebody else can benefit from it.
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  But when hundreds or thousands of people do that,
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  then again,
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  it just is a lot of stuff and stuff,
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  stuff sometimes in,
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  in just stories of that,
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  it's just tattered or dirty or broken.
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  And so really it needed to been discarded instead of donated.
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  And so it,
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  it is just doesn't help.
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  And so again,
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  intentions are good,
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  but wait,
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  especially if it's not directly uh related to,
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  to the disaster.
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  So,
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  for example,
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  you know,
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  recently we've had winter weather,
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  right?
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  And ice storms.
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  And so that might be an example where new or gently used coats could be used.
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  And so that might be a good donation,
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  but only if it's requested.
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  Similar generally after tornadoes or flooding,
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  the recommendation is to wait,
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  especially on donating clothes or income items that have not been specifically requested.
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  So if you have lots of stuff that you think you want to get rid of,
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  maybe have a yard sale and then give the cash.
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  That's a great example.
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  Yeah,
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  absolutely.
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  So what types of donations are most needed after a natural disaster?
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  Yeah,
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  I think that really depends on the community and those most impacted by the disaster.
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  And so if you do really want to give something tangible goods or items,
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  you know,
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  a suggestion is to contact somebody on the ground in that area to confirm what is needed.
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  And so a great place to start,
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  of course,
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  is your County Cooperative extension office.
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  Um You could also contact a local community center,
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  something like the Y MC A or Red Cross,
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  a local place of worship.
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  But somebody on the ground in that area who can tell you where items are being collected,
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  who can say what items are needed most and can really connect you with the efforts that are being done to respond and recover in that community.
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  Then another suggestion is to provide new items that support common donations.
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  So for example,
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  canned goods are a very common donation after a disaster.
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  But if we don't have manual can openers,
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  we could,
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  we can't access those cans.
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  And so maybe you could donate manual can openers or if you have canisters of unopened non expired baby formula,
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  maybe also with that donating new baby bottles.
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  And so consider functional items that support common donations for other things that are commonly requested.
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  Dry shampoo is one that,
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  that was interesting to me to learn that this was a common request,
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  but it makes a lot of sense,
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  right?
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  If,
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  if you don't have access to water and and you want to feel refreshed into dry shampoo wipes like baby wipes.
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  Um again,
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  unopened diapers,
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  feminine hygiene products or even new work gloves to help with some of that cleanup.
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  But just examples of needed items that can go overlooked after a disaster.
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  So,
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  what about giving money or volunteering your time?
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  Are those things that are recommended?
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  Yeah,
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  I think,
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  I think those are,
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  of course,
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  again,
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  if uh depending on the needs of the community.
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  And so um really according to FEMA,
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  which is the Federal Emergency Management Agency,
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  financial contributions are the most flexible and most effective means of donating.
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  But you want to be certain that you are putting your financial contribution in the hands of an organization that can put those funds to use locally.
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  And so,
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  you know,
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  a recommendation is to contact,
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  recognize charitable organizations who are on the ground in an affected area because they know what items and quantities are needed and they know who needs them.
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  And then you mentioned time.
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  So yes,
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  time and energy are also helpful contributions in the days and the weeks and the months after disaster.
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  But by and large,
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  never ever self deployed to disaster area.
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  So don't get in your car and just take off instead really contact or recognize and a trusted organization who knows if and where volunteers are needed if it's safe for volunteers to come in yet.
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  Because,
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  and we've learned this the hard way um in the state the last year,
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  year and a half is disaster response and recovery efforts.
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  They really need to be well coordinated in a local community to be both safe and affected.
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  So,
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  again,
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  number one tip is contact somebody in the ground who's helping to organize those efforts before donating things,
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  money or at your time,
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  especially if you're going to volunteer,
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  wait until you can confirm it's needed where it's needed and how your help can be best received and plan to make your own arrangements for food and lodging so that somebody doesn't have to coordinate that for you.
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  Right.
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  Yes,
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  absolutely.
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  And I know that this is not something we want to talk about,
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  but we have to mention it with regard to natural disasters.
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  What about scams?
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  Because we know that people prey on those who are vulnerable.
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  So is fraud,
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  something that people should have on their radar.
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  Yeah.
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  Uh It is,
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  unfortunately,
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  we caution about being,
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  if you have been um the victim of a natural disaster,
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  you definitely want to be on the lookout because we know that scams run high,
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  but they're also scams that prey on people's compassion and their generosity after because you know your heart,
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  if you are not affected in your neighboring county or,
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  or somewhere else in your state,
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  I if you see the,
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  the stories on social media and on the news and you want to help out um,
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  well,
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  scammers take advantage of that and they really do prey on our generosity and our compassion.
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  And so,
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  you know,
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  be wary,
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  uh,
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  especially if you're doing in cash or gift cards,
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  make sure that you're researching the charity that,
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  you know,
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  who you're giving your money or your gift cards to.
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  Um,
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  and with that,
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  you know,
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  be careful of crowd funding scams.
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  Yeah,
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  those are,
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  um,
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  when a person asks to raise money through a crowd funding website and,
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  and they can be a good thing.
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  Um but make sure that you know who is requesting the money where it's going,
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  that your donations will get um where they say they will go.
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  Because if you make those contributions to an individual or a family or a personal cause through a crowdfunding source,
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  chances are good,
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  that actual source has done very little to make sure the money goes where that organizer says it will go.
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  And so you wanna make sure that you're giving,
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  that you're giving to,
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  to trusted organizations or individuals who are on the ground doing the work in the areas most most affected.
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  And,
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  and again,
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  reach out if you're not sure where to go.
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  Um reach out to your,
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  your local county extension office even before a disaster,
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  reach out and say,
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  hey,
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  in the event that something happens where,
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  what's the,
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  who's the point of contact,
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  how is help needed?
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  But definitely once something happens,
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  reach out to someone you trust before you,
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  before you donate your,
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  your money.
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  And I,
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  I think that's such a,
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  a great point.
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  I know that we in Kentucky have suffered significant natural disasters,
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  both in the west and the east in the recent past.
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  And we've had sister organizations from out of state who have reached out and said,
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  how can we help because we had significant impacts to our extension community.
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  And so I thought that was a great example of how we are living our own mission.
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  And we,
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  we're,
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  we're taking our own advice.
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  And so those,
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  those sister organizations reached out and said,
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  how can we help you all?
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  And where does our money need to go?
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  And so that was,
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  that was a great example of how we follow our own advice,
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  right?
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  And then I also,
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  you know,
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  realize that especially right after a disaster that communities are overwhelmed.
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  So sometimes they really just don't know and so be patient to if you ask and give people time to assess the need and get back with you because sometimes,
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  and that was something again we heard across the state from our agents is right away.
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  We really didn't know what we needed.
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  We knew what we didn't need,
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  right?
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  Like dirty clothes and things to sort through.
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  We didn't need truckloads of sour cream,
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  but we did,
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  you know,
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  we needed a minute to assess the needs of our community,
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  but just reaching out to say,
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  how can I help when you know the needs?
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  Let me know and,
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  and I'm happy to contribute.
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  So,
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  waiting until you have that confirmation and we definitely,
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  we say this all the time.
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  It's a marathon,
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  not a sprint.
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  And I was just driving to Western Kentucky last week.
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  There's still recovery going on and it's been what,
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  almost 18 months now,
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  since those tornadoes.
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  So it definitely is a marathon and there are still ways that we can help even after a significant amount of time has passed.
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  Yeah,
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  I,
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  I think so too.
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  And that was another sentiment is to say,
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  hey,
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  when that,
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  when the social media buzz dies down,
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  we're still rebuilding our community and but that's when we're not getting the request.
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  And so if you uh if you still have a,
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  a desire to help an area that has been impacted um here in Kentucky over the last,
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  you know,
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  um from a few months to 18 months,
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  but reach out and say,
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  hey,
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  is there still a need?
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  Is there still a need?
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  Um Because that's what communities are saying is,
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  don't forget us after um after the,
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  the media buzz does down because we're still rebuilding our community.
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  Nicole.
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  Thanks so much for taking the time to share with me today.
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  I know that this conversation will be impactful in the east and in the west and for all areas that are affected by natural disaster.
• 15:32
  If you are just tuning in,
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