This excellent article by Reuters reveals “a gulf between what many people expected the [American Red Cross] to do in times of crisis and what it actually delivers.”

Key points:

Like Hurricane Katrina victims, Hurricane Sandy victims feel let down by the charity.

From the article:

— The sense of letdown is all the more stark because the Red Cross, the fifth-largest charity in the United States by private donations, is viewed by many as the place to donate money when there is a major disaster at home or abroad. 

— Part of the perception problem may be the massive media and advertising campaigns that the Red Cross runs when there is a disaster.

— These campaigns appear to give the impression that the charity can be all things to all victims. Many of Sandy’s victims said in interviews that this was their view before disappointment set in.

— Frustration with the Red Cross is palpable throughout the Occupy movement.
“The Red Cross is useless,” said Nastaran Mohit, who runs the Occupy medical clinic in the Rockaways with volunteer doctors. “They come to me every day asking, ‘How can we help?’
“I say, ‘Send me people.’ And they tell me they’ll get back to me.”

Read the entire article here.