Even the less fortunate have standards

I spent Saturday afternoon volunteering at a local community organization sorting donations to send to the Pakistan earthquake victims. I was appalled to see some of the items that were being donated. People have taken the opportunity to do some house cleaning by dropping off their old and un-hygienic clothes. I find this action totally disgusting. If you personally would not wear a set of clothes, do not donate them either. These unwanted donations waste everyone’s time because volunteers need to spend extra time sorting items and if sent, volunteers receiving these donations need to spend time looking for acceptable items.

PIA is taking these donations to Pakistan on their regularly scheduled flights. Extra amount of jet fuel will be required due to increased weight of the aircraft. If the goods we send are not satisfactory, money is being wasted by transporting these goods. My advice is that if you want to help with the relief efforts, you should donate money to relief organizations, so that they can buy the supplies required. If you would like to send something other than clothes, you should go to the mall and purchase tents and blankets.

This experience reminded me of a Seinfeld episode where Elaine dropped off the bottoms of muffins to the homeless. The following dialogue summarizes this situation:

Rebecca: Excuse me, I'm Rebecca Demore from the homeless shelter.
Elaine: Oh, hi.
Rebecca: Are you the ones leaving the muffing pieces behind our shelter?
Elaine: You been enjoying them?
Rebecca: They're just stumps.
Elaine: Well they're perfectly edible.
Rebecca: Oh, so you just assume that the homeless will eat them, they'll eat anything?
Mr. Lippman: No no, we just thought...
Rebecca: I know what you thought. They don't have homes, they don't have jobs, what do they need the top of a muffin for? They're lucky to get the stumps.
Elaine: If the homeless don't like them the homeless don't have to eat them.
Rebecca: The homeless don't like them.
Elaine: Fine.
Rebecca: We've never gotten so many complaints. Every two minutes, "Where is the top of this muffin? Who ate the rest of this?"
Elaine: We were just trying to help.
Rebecca: Why don't you just drop off some chicken skins and lobster shells?
Elaine: I think I might.