Yeah, keep your dollars local.
The Salvation Army runs something called the “Angel Tree” program, which is where you buy a gift for a specific needy child. Sometimes it’s just a list, sometimes it’s an actual physical Christmas tree, where the names are written on paper angel ornaments and you grab one.
Many churches also run their own “Angel Tree” programs. And if they aren’t doing an “Angel Tree”, they probably have some sort of “coats for kids” or Christmas basket program.
Church list for Dallas, Georgia. http://www.churchangel.com/WEBGA/dallas.htm
The Salvation Army is way down at the end, after about a million Baptist churches (!), but their phone number and address aren’t listed.
According to Yahoo Yellow Pages, the closest Salvation Army to Dallas, Georgia is:
Salvation Army The-Douglas County
8460 E Courthouse Sq~ Dglsvl,
Douglasville, GA
Phone: (770) 942-7188
So, anyway, what I’m getting at is, I know you probably had in mind sending money to some little “foreign” child somewhere, but I’ve always thought that this way you have a better sense of what your money is doing.
After you get in contact with somebody who’s running an “Angel Tree” program, explain what you want to do, that you want it to be an ongoing relationship. People do do this. Once they understand that you’re not a child molester looking for fresh talent, that you’d be satisfied with a letter and a photograph every so often, they’ll be more than happy to match you up with someone local and needy.