In the wake of recent events in the southeastern United States, Americans have banded together to help those who have been displaced. There are many amazing charities who are doing all they can for the refugees left homeless after Hurricane Katrina. Bloggers everywhere are making their lists of the charitable organizations people can support, often mentioning who they donated to.

The organization I’m choosing to support during this disaster is Modest Needs. Modest Needs is a non-profit organization that was created to help families during short-term crisis, such as emergency medical bills or unexpected car repair. Things that some families have money set aside for, but for those families living paycheck to paycheck, these little surprises can cause more problems until it seems unbearable to deal with.

On their Web site is a list of who needs help, how much they need and what it’s for. All applications have been verified my Modest Needs before being listed.

The way Modest Needs works is you can donate anywhere from $5 to $100. Some members can also have the privledge of “adopting” someone in need. This means they would choose someone who needs help and donate the exact amount that person has applied for.

Modest Needs even shows a breakdown of how much of their money pays for administrative costs and how much is actually helping those in need. So far this year, they have spent 92.6% of their income on helping others, the remaining 7.4% going towards Management and General Expenses.

So please, check it out. One day it could be you who needs help.