Mo Money Mo Problems: so think about giving some of that phat check awayTax rebates are trickling into American mailboxes. Some of us will be getting a pretty sweet chunk of change back, and with the economy going down the tubes, there are plenty of places we can think of to use that money. But if you don’t absolutely need it to pay rent, put food on the table, or pay off some debt, some people think you should give your rebate (or at least, part of it) to charity. A number of churches have started funds where people can donate their tax rebate money to charities that haven’t been doing so well due to the crappy economy.

"It's an unbelievable amount of cash that people of faith or people of conscience could choose to say, 'You know, we could get along without this. We could put this money to use,' " said Ken Sehested, co-pastor at the Circle of Mercy church in Asheville, N.C.

His congregation of about 50 adults, which is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and Alliance of Baptists, voted to give at least 10 percent of their checks to charities. He and his wife plan to give their entire $1,200 check to the church's partner congregation in Cuba.

Kiva.org: give to entrepeneurs all over the world and help end poverty You may already have a favorite charity where you’d like to designate your money, but if you’re looking for some suggestions, Low Impact Living has some tips for spending your money in eco-smart ways that will save you money later on, and also happen to be good for the planet. Or how about helping communities in need all over the world—including Darfur, India, and Colombia—by donating to the American Jewish World Service, which funds hundreds of grassroots organizations working to promote health, education, economic development, disaster relief, and social and political change in the developing world.

And here’s our favorite idea for your rebate check: Use it to make a micro-loan to empower an entrepeneur in the developing world to lift him or herself out of poverty. And since you’re only loaning the money, you can even get it back to spend on a night out on the town in a few months, or reinvest in another venture, or donate it. Check out kiva.org to choose the micro-loan you’ll support.

The wires were buzzing earlier this week with stories of a terminal lung cancer diagnosis for Paul Newman, who has reportedly turned over $120 million—the entire value of his ownership in Newman's Own—to charity. The morbid headlines alone were enough to cast readers into despair, even though Newman himself has humorously denied the reports. While the idea of Paul Newman dying a painful, difficult death is admittedly hard to bear, the media frenzy surrounding this story is eclipsing an important point: Obsessing over Paul Newman's impending death is time that would be better spent reflecting on his extraordinarily inspiring life.

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward: just after their marriage, in 1958Despite his legendary good looks (see Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song" lyrics) and enviably successful Hollywood career, Newman opted for a private life defined by principled conviction and genuine humility. He's been married to his second wife, actress Joanne Woodward, for 50 years, and is said to have described his commitment to monogamy with, "Why go out for a hamburger when you have steak at home?"

Newman's life hasn't been totally charmed; his first marriage ended in divorce, and his only son died of a drug overdose in 1978. Two years after his son Scott passed away, Newman found a way to create something good from an otherwise life-shattering experience. In 1980, he founded The Scott Newman Center, which works to prevent substance abuse through education, and runs a camp for children and families whose lives have been affected by drugs, alcohol abuse, or domestic violence.

Beyond that, he's all but redefined the concept of corporate philanthropy, achieving the seemingly-impossible by donating 100% of the proceeds from his wonderful company, Newman's Own, to various charitable organizations. Together with business partner and friend A.E. Hotchner, with whom he founded the company in 1982, Newman has earned and donated over $200 million.

It doesn't stop there. Newman's Own is much more than just another "celebrity brand," as chronicled in Newman and Hotchner's book, Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good. Unlike "Rocky Graziano's spaghetti sauce, Mickey Mantle's barbecue sauce, Nolan Ryan's All-Star Fruit Snacks, [or] Gloria Vanderbilt's salad dressing," Newman's Own had a mission from the beginning: Newman was intent upon creating a product made with all natural ingredients. He was ahead of his time: As explained in Shameless Exploitation, "at that time, almost all salad dressings, especially the mass-market ones, contained sugar, artificial coloring, chemical preservatives, gums, and God knows what."

Paul Newman: helped to start CECP with the belief that corporate America could be a force for good in society His first product, a simple oil and vinegar salad dressing, paved the way for a product line that now includes all-natural pasta sauce, salsa, lemonade, steak sauce, cereal, and popcorn, not to mention an organic line founded with his daughter in 1993, which includes pretzels, cookies, popcorn, chocolate bars, peppermint cups, peanut butter cups, olive oil and vinegar, dried fruit, fair trade coffee, and pet food.

Newman dedicated himself to creating healthier products and giving all of the proceeds away but, of course, he didn't stop there. Through Newman's Own, he initiated and funds the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which "provides children with cancer and other serious illnesses and conditions a [free] camping experience of the highest quality, while extending year-round support to their families and health care providers."

He also helped to start the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, which is the "only international forum of business CEOs and chairpersons pursuing a mission focused exclusively on corporate philanthropy."

Amazingly, this is just an incomplete, hazy snapshot of what Newman has accomplished in his 83 years. Altruistic, creative, entrepreneurial, and dedicated to the common good, Paul Newman is a great symbol of what each of us can achieve when we allow ourselves to be fearlessly—but thoughtfully—guided by our hearts.

When Zimbabwe recently cracked down on CARE—a leading humanitarian organization focused on global poverty which has spent more than $100 million in Zimbabwe in the last 16 years—I started thinking about how some charities do amazing work, but somehow don’t leave the people they serve any better off. This month, CARE would have fed more than 110,000 people who will now go hungry because President Robert Mugabe has limited the charity's access. It's upsetting that 110,000 people depend on CARE every month, and leads me to wonder whether charities like CARE and Feed the Children could be doing more to fight hunger and poverty long term, instead of always focusing on the immediate.

This is a tricky question. If someone is starving in front of you, it’s unimaginable to say to her, “Well, I’m going to give my money to an advocacy group that is helping to eliminate hunger long term.” But if that person is dependent on handouts from you and others, there’s little chance the problem will ever be solved.

Judaism places a high priority on giving time, money and resources to those in need. Over and over again, the Torah commands us to care for the widow, the orphan and the stranger among us. We are to provide food and clothing for those who need them, heal the sick, and bury the dead. But of course, it’s not that simple. Thousands of charities compete for our support every day, dealing with everything from hunger relief in Africa and animal cruelty in the States to global warming. Kids Can't Survive: without CARE

Maimonides is famous for his ladder of tzedakah, or hierarchy of giving. The highest form of tzedakah, according to Maimonides, is to give an interest free loan, or to enter into a business partnership. To help someone get back on her feet and provide for herself is considered higher than providing immediate relief to a problem.

In some cases, immediate relief is all that is needed. In the aftermath of major natural disasters, immediate support in the form of food, water, clothing, shelter, and medical supplies is absolutely necessary, and may be all that can be reasonably done. But when we’re dealing with a long term problem with no end in sight, it may be better to think big picture and give to charities that are working on the roots of our problems, not the buds.

Are Your Hamantaschen: ready to go?It's Purim, party people, and that means you have six mitzvoth to observe in the next couple of days. What, you thought it was just a costume party? The Purim mitzvoth are:

1. Hearing the Megillah. We’re supposed to hear the Megillah twice: Once tonight, and once tomorrow morning.
2. Giving mishloach manot to your friends and family.
   
3. Giving money to the poor.
   
4. Having a festive Purim meal.
   
5. Adding the appropriate prayer, Al Hanisim, during the Amidah
   
6. Being extra happy on Shushan Purim, which this year falls on Shabbat.

Word to the wise: Purim is a great time to try out a new synagogue—you get to see how much liquor they’ve got around and how generous they are with it, and sample their hamantaschen. A lot of synagogues offer Purim Carnivals, such as Ikar in Los Angeles. They're hosting a "Justice" Purim Carnival—with games like Guitar Hero and Wii Sports—from which all proceeds will go to charity. To find a cool shul near you, try shulshopper.

We’ve already covered giving mishloach manot here, but remember that the mitzvah is to distribute them on the day of Purim, which is Friday. Ideally, one should send them by messenger, but if your chauffeur has the day off, it’s cool to deliver them yourself. You should put together and send at least two gift baskets.
You Gotta Give: to everyone who asks on Purim
Giving money and gifts to the poor is an integral part of celebrating Purim. On Friday one should try to give money, food or clothing to at least two needy people. The minimum amount you should give is only about 20 cents per person, but if you can afford to give more, then do so. Technically one is obligated to give money to every needy person who asks on Purim, and it’s preferable to give more money to the poor than to spend tons on your mishloach manot or on making a lavish Purim meal.

Having a festive meal on the day of Purim is one of the less commonly observed mitzvoth, but it need not be. Since Purim falls on Good Friday this year, you might have the day off, which means plenty of time to put together a nice Purim brunch. Check out Not Derby Pie for some great ideas, or our own Jewcy suggestions. And we’re supposed to drink on Purim, so how about mimosas? Another suggestion: Brew up a pitcher of Sukkot Sangria, and tell your friends it's Purim Punch.

Being especially happy and joyous on Shabbat, and adding Al Hanisim during the Amidah are pretty easy to figure out without much explanation.

Now, start cleaning for Pesach…

Related: Must Have: Readymade Purim Baskets, How To: Make Your Own Purim Baskets

Scarlett Johansson: following in the footsteps of other do-gooder masked crusaders Actress Scarlett Johansson announced a plan today that will combine two of everyone’s favorite things: tzedakah and big swanky Hollywood parties.ScarJo will purportedly auction off two tickets to the premiere of her upcoming movie, He’s Just Not That Into You, on eBay.All proceeds from the sale will go to international social justice coalition, Oxfam.

Two winners will not only get to chill with the celebrity Jewess at the premiere, but will also be treated as stars for the day, getting glammed out with a Hollywood makeover, and arriving in style by chauffeured car service.Tikkun Olam has never looked so good!

Johansson is full of surprises lately: A few weeks ago, she told us she was planning on being the next Tom Waits, and now she's venturing into the world of charity.Might she be trying to keep up with her socially conscious co-star, The Other Boleyn Girl Natalie Portman?Maybe, but at least it’s for a good cause.

Related: Walk A Mile In Natalie Portman's Shoes

Jet Set Barbie: kicking leukemia and lymphoma's ass!Love to travel? Hate Leukemia and Lymphoma? If you answered "yes" to both of those questions, then I strongly advise you to mosey on over to Global Traveler magazine, where they recently launched a huge auction to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The travel-themed auction goes through midnight on May 30, 2008, and includes items ranging from business class airline tickets, international hotel stays, spa treatments, and luggage, to rounds of golf and wine.

The goal: To raise $100,000 for LLS, which fights leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma.

You know how empty the refrigerator is when you come back from a long vacation and you haven’t gone grocery shopping yet? Looking at my empty fridge always makes me feel guilty about not doing more in the fight against hunger. Hunger is one of those basic problems that I find incredibly overwhelming, but that I also feel really compelled to do something about. So every year I try to give some time and money to a few great Jewish charities that fight hunger.
Empty Fridge: empty tummy
Meir Panim is an amazing and huge charity in Israel dedicated to providing vital food and social services to the needy via 30 relief centers. A few years ago I was part of a volunteering mission in Israel and we did some awesome work at a free restaurant run by Meir Panim. They run a tight ship, and provide for hundreds every day. Definitely worth a contribution if you have some cash, or a few hours of volunteering if you have some free time the next time you’re in Israel.
Hunger: we're obligated to do something

In the States, we have Mazon, which does everything from raising money and distributing food directly, to running advocacy programs that help bring attention and resources to the problem. And because I’m from Chicago I know of two amazing programs in Chicago that do great work fighting hunger and that always need volunteers to do some hard work (read: a good way to help out even if you’re strapped for cash). There’s the Uptown Café, which provides kosher hot meals in a restaurant-style setting to Jews and non-Jews alike. You can donate money, or volunteer to be a waiter/waitress. And there’s Maot Chitim, a program that gives boxes of kosher food to underprivileged Jewish families before Pesach and Rosh HaShana. They always need help packing and delivering boxes.

Three cheers: For Rice.Want to improve your vocabulary and feed the hungry at the same time? Then visit Freerice.com. For every vocabulary question that you get right, the website will donate ten grains of rice to the hungry. The advertisements on the website pay for the donated rice and the rice is distributed by the United Nations World Food Program.

The highest vocabulary score you can get is 50, and I averaged 37, which left me feeling…..below average. Anyway, let’s all work on our respective vocabularies and give a little in the process.

We—the children of the boomers, the privileged progressives—have a giving problem, which is that we don’t do it. Instead, we cloak ourselves in the trappings of charity. We carve out lives that appear to be socially just, full of free range chicken and Birkenstocks. We look good, even if we don’t do-good.

Revolution: Never looked so good.Hell, we ask for money, either as non-profiteers, or as individuals with pet projects. Each year, I get a handful of e-mails from friends requesting “charitable donations.” They want to take their band on the road, or they want to fly to Nepal to read bedtime stories to orphans, and they’re asking me to fund the trip. They have feral cats to foster, and co-operative gardens to maintain, and that’s great, but it does little to repair the world. Sure it’s nice to have live music in the park, but that that just makes our lives nicer, decorates our world.

Please understand, I’m in no position to judge, because I’m worst of all. Last year, while working for a Jewish charity I “rescued” Kareem, a stray pit bull living down the street from me. Then I spent SEVEN THOUSAND dollars to kill her slowly, with a fancy veterinary specialist, on credit, and then solicited Jewish donors to fund my hopeless project. And it worked. Which is insane.

I cared enough to nurse the damn dog, just not enough to put the bill on my own credit card, or take a second job to pay the bill.

SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS TO KILL A DAMN DOG!!! I wasn’t being a do-gooder, I was sucking the system, siphoning off money that could have been going to AIDS research or literacy. I got so caught up in what looked like charity that I lost all reason, not to mention my math skills.

I realize now that for years I’ve made the mistake of mixing up my progressive lifestyle for true charity, and I think maybe you have too.

Forget dogs: This mutt doesn't need your money. Ask yourself: Do you feel better about yourself when you shop at Whole Paycheck, or when you ride your bike to work? Do you imagine the world thinks you “look” progressive?

And how do you judge the world? Let’s say you spot a thirty-ish woman in a vintage sundress, carrying a cloth grocery bag to the farmers market while sipping a soy chai, and walking beside her is a middle aged woman in a salmon colored Capri pants-and-sweatshirt ensemble that surely came from Wal-Mart. A Disney outfit. She’s drinking a Big Gulp.

How might you imagine they stack up to each other with regard to charity? I bet the Wal-Mart mom gives a big chunk of change to her church each year, which—among other things—supports a soup kitchen. And I bet she doesn’t have a ringer-T that says so either.

Keep in mind, it’s still good to ride your bike to work, but if it makes you feel like you’ve “done your bit” there’s a problem. If your hemp pants make you feel like you don’t need to send some money to Louisiana, you’ve gotten off the path.

For some, the solution seems to be “getting involved” but that doesn’t take the place of giving either. So if you’re working in the development office of an environmental organization, however cool that is—you should be donating to that same organization as well. Because when you’re getting paid to do “good work”, it isn’t really charity. That’s just the non-profit sector supporting you.

Look up to Grandma: She was fashionable and gave to charity. Maybe we’re screwed up because we’re just plain bad with money, raised on credit cards and take-out, but there’s an illogic in place, because we think we’re progressive. We think we want to help. We’ve taken the Sesame Street aesthetics that our hippie parents fed us, and we’ve blended them with the greed of our own me decades, and the result is a lot of bumper stickers. We buy organic milk, and then get wasted on Cosmos, or we buy ethanol for our SUVs. The image of progressive living has a price tag., and so we don’t ever have enough to give to charity. Our appetites always exceed our resources, no matter how great our resources may be.

Face it. We just really like to buy stuff, and we live in a world designed to feed that passion. Despite our aesthetics of charity, despite our rocking of the vote—what does our generation value? TiVo. High speed Internet. Very pale beers with slices of citrus fruit floating in them. Whatever the billboards tell us to value, which means our discretionary spending is beyond belief.

Three years ago, a study based on more than 7000 households showed that just over one-half (53 %) of our generation made donations of $25 or more in 2000. Compare this to our post-Holocaust/Depression grandparents, 80% of whom gave at our age. Or our hippie parents, who donated at a rate of 75%. Bubbe and Zayde gave an average of $1,707. We give $532.

But Generation X, Y, and Z?

We refuse to share our good fortune. Despite the fact that a 30-year-old today (we’ll call him Mike) is 50% more likely to have a college degree than his dad (Steve), and despite the fact that Mike earns $5,000 more a year than Steve did 30 years ago (even adjusted for inflation), he isn’t giving any of it away. In fact, Mike probably doesn’t believe he can afford to give. Like many of us, he think he’ll have the money someday, talks about what he’ll do when that day comes, and then goes out for dinner. Like many of us, he thinks he’s “just getting by.”

Gen-x: Spending all of our money on cosmos. But our generation has a strange concept of what it means to “get by.” We spend more on vacations than our grandparents ever dreamed of, and per trip expenditures have increased 66% over the past 5 years. While Steve spent a well-earned week in the Poconos, Mike flies off to Mali, and even if he has to slap it on the credit card, he feels totally entitled. In 1997, Generation X spent approximately $30 billion eating out, and we’re the highest consumers of fast food, beer, wine coolers (ugh!), and booze. When it comes to food, we lead the way with soda, chocolate, chips and beer, so then of course we spend a lot on gym memberships too.

So I’m making a resolution now, and I’m asking you to hold me to it.

I’m going to do better. In fact, I’m going to try to give away 7K next year, to make up for Kareem the dead dog. I’m going to research giving, and I’m going to stop eating out so fucking much. I’m going to try to figure out how the people who give make it work. That’s right, I’m admitting my ignorance and facing the music. I’m going to talk to my grandparents, and maybe a banker, or a rabbi, and I’ll get back to you when I have some answers.

In the meantime, what are you going to do?

* * *


Short quiz:

1.) Do you have bumper stickers or T shirts that advocate missions you haven’t actively contributed to in the last year?

2.) Do your organic purchases each week outnumber the quantity of organizations where you’ve volunteered?

3.) Have you traveled in a developing nation and then come home and bought items made in China?

4.) Is the amount of money you spend on alcohol each week more or less than the amount of money you spend of charitable causes?

5.) Do you belong to Working Assets? If so, how often do you actually make an additional donation when you pay your bill?

Better than you: This bag recently convinced Dick Cheney to buy a PriusIf you follow fashion, you’ll understand the power of the phrase “I am not a plastic bag.” Yesterday, in less than an hour, New Yorkers snapped up 2000 canvas totes labeled with those words at a Manhattan Whole Foods. The bags, which cost around $15, have been snapped up all over Britian and are nearly causing riots in the States. Why? Because fashionistas currently like being eco-friendly, but they’ll always love being cutting edge, and Anya Hindmarch’s creation is the status symbol of the summer.

Being an organ of many opinions, Jewcy is divided about whether or not this is a positive development. Editor Joey Kurtzman has said before that he likes the idea of tying good deeds to status. Since people put so much time and money into showing off, he reasons, why not harness that energy and attach it to a worthy cause? After all, when a soulless, shriveled trendwhore totes vegetables in her “I am not a plastic bag” bag simply to make her BFFs feel like lesser human beings because their bags aren’t quite so de trop, she’s still conserving resources. One less petroleum product will wind up in one less landfill even if the bag’s owner’s intentions are utterly rotten and black of heart.

Then again, unlike philanthropy, bag ownership isn’t immediately a good deed. Rumor has it that some department stores in England were actually bagging the Hindmarch bags in plastic, which is both hilarious and terrifying in its implications about the depths of human stupidity. Jewcy contributer Rebecca Diliberto has made her own critique at Café Press, and she’s donating all proceeds to charity. Anya Hindmarch seems like a cool, well-intentioned lady; I think Diliberto’s “I am not a douchebag” would amuse her more than anything else. After all, it can carry vegetables home from the supermarket too.