Biting the hand...
*sigh* I really didn't need that.
A gentleman seeking assistance at St. John's just yelled at me and accused me personally and the church in general of being a cheat and a fraud. Reason? Our standard assistance form asks for a Social Security number, and the only reason the church would want that would be to swindle him, apparently.
He didn't want help with his cell phone bill or gas for his car bad enough to deal with a phony church, he decided. I've still got the gas card sitting on my desk.
Guess I'll go back to my crooked, evil work before grabbing a bite to eat.
A gentleman seeking assistance at St. John's just yelled at me and accused me personally and the church in general of being a cheat and a fraud. Reason? Our standard assistance form asks for a Social Security number, and the only reason the church would want that would be to swindle him, apparently.
He didn't want help with his cell phone bill or gas for his car bad enough to deal with a phony church, he decided. I've still got the gas card sitting on my desk.
Guess I'll go back to my crooked, evil work before grabbing a bite to eat.
posted by Bob at
11:44 AM
3 Comments:
A little background for those of us not so familiar with your church? Cell phone? Gas money? Huh?
My first reaction would not be that the church is out to swindle, but I would definitely think thrice before giving out my SSN.
By
Shawn A. Krueger, at 2:07 PM
Like many churches, we've got a "pastor's discretionary fund" to provide emergency assistance to families and individuals who are in need and come to the church for help. Although they're sporadic, I seem to get maybe half a dozen to a dozen folks contacting the church or just stopping in, looking for help. We've provided rent assistance, gas money (in the form of gift cards), grocery gift certificates, and help with bills, among other things.
The help is not huge - my "budget" for this aid is actually not in the church budget at all, but depends on designated gifts from members - but sometimes a few gallons of gas or a water bill taken care of can give families a little room to breathe.
I can't say I know why the church put the SSN blank on the form - I probably would have left it off, seeing as how I actually agree with my visitor last week about keeping those close to the vest.
That said, it left a cloud over my office for the rest of the afternoon to be in the process of offering someone the help he'd asked for, only to find myself and the church maligned for our trouble.
I'm over it now, though. ;) I really do hope the gentleman was able to get the help he needed someplace where he felt like he could accept it without being scammed.
By
Bob, at 5:08 PM
I think you'll find if you check that the government requires the reporting of that transaction, it's value and the SSN.
It's a shame and if it were just your pocket to his it wouldn't be needed but when you involve a registered charity, that's what happens.
By
1138, at 9:59 PM
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home