Our Viewpoint

We've written before about how great our communities are at supporting each other. Fundraisers, donations for food banks or those who have been affected by sickness.

Fundraising websites such as GoFundMe are gaining popularity, but we're also seeing more national headlines about those sites being used by scammers. In New Jersey, a couple helped raise more than $400,000 which they were going to give to a homeless veteran. It turned out to be a scam. Most of the money was refunded, but it still makes us hesitant to donate to an online source. How can we be sure the money will be used for the intended purposes stated on the site?

We're happy to see people continuing to donate locally, supporting events and helping those in need. You can see the effects of your donations as they help your neighbors and friends.

Besides, an opporuntity to watch people ride donkeys on the basketball court while helping a local organization just shouldn't be missed.