War Charities and Special Causes

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Often the urge to give to charity increases during wartime, even as we are coping with budgetary stresses and emotional anguish close to home. Donate your time or money to a relevant cause or charitable organization to spread the sacrifice and assuage the suffering. There's everything from pet fostering at home to hunger relief overseas to choose from. Here are some ideas.

The Red Cross provides services
throughout the world. Photo: Red
Cross

The Red Cross serves military personnel and their families in all sorts of capacities, including emergency communications services anywhere in the world, emergency financial assistance (including burials and travel), counseling, and assistance to veterans. You can make donations online. To volunteer, contact your local Red Cross or visit the site to see how you can help.

The USO is about a lot more than Bob Hope entertaining the troops. The nonprofit charitable organization brings a "touch of home" by providing morale, welfare, and recreational services to uniformed military personnel, with 188 centers and five mobile canteens around the world. Donate online or by calling 800-876-7469.

Want to be part of a meaningful legacy? You can help educate the children of uniformed services personnel who die in active service. The MOAA scholarship fund provides interest-free loans and grants for college. Your contribution can be made in memory of someone and will be acknowledged in a letter to the recipient. Call 800-234-6622 or donate online.