# red cross money

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cross-money/83136>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 22, 2001, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cross-money/83136 "2001-09-22T01:27:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cross-money/83136/1 "2001-09-22T01:27:15Z")

</div>

OK, everyone has been donating to the Red Cross relief fund, which is absolutely great. What I want to know is, does anyone know EXACTLY what is done with this money? Obviously it goes to relief efforts, but how? Are they using it, for example,  
a. to buy food, clothes, etc., for those displaced?  
b. to pay all of the city’s relief/cleanup workers?  
c. to give cash to the families who need it?

I know it’s probably a combination of the above and lots of other things, but I wonder about these things.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![evilhanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba8739/32.png) [@evilhanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhanz)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-cross-money/83136/2 "2001-09-22T02:09:50Z")

</div>

Why not peruse the official [Red Cross](http://www.redcross.org) website? These kinds of details are provided in their [Annual Report](http://www.redcross.org/pubs/car00/pgs34-53.pdf).

On Disaster Relief, pg 3:

> [@](#):
>
> The vast majority of disaster expenses consist of direct relief to victims in the form of food, shelter, and clothing, as well as basic household furnishings such as bedding. Other costs include the expenses of staff to deliver and support these critical services.