FEMA Plans to Reimburse Faith Groups for Aid

WaPo reported After weeks of prodding by Republican lawmakers and the American Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said yesterday that it will use taxpayer money to reimburse churches and other religious organizations that have opened their doors to provide shelter, food and supplies to survivors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

That is good. Faith based groups did very good work, often superior to that done by secular groups.

FEMA officials said it would mark the first time that the government has made large-scale payments to religious groups for helping to cope with a domestic natural disaster.

I hope it is not the last.

"I believe it's appropriate for the federal government to assist the faith community because of the scale and scope of the effort and how long it's lasting," said Joe Becker, senior vice president for preparedness and response with the Red Cross.

Strangly, the Red Cross is considered a secular organization, despite its symbol, and the fact than in Muslim countries it is a Red Crescent, and in Israel a Red Star of David

Civil liberties groups called the decision a violation of the traditional boundary between church and state, accusing FEMA of trying to restore its battered reputation by playing to religious conservatives....

Those idiots hate anything or anyone with faith in a higher power.

FEMA officials said religious organizations would be eligible for payments only if they operated emergency shelters, food distribution centers or medical facilities at the request of state or local governments in the three states that have declared emergencies -- Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. In those cases, "a wide range of costs would be available for reimbursement, including labor costs incurred in excess of normal operations, rent for the facility and delivery of essential needs like food and water," FEMA spokesman Eugene Kinerney said in an e-mail.

It is very reasonable to reimburse for those services. They were provided without asking the faith of the recipient.

For churches, synagogues and mosques that have taken in hurricane survivors, FEMA's decision presents a quandary. Some said they were eager to get the money and had begun tallying their costs, from electric bills to worn carpets. Others said they probably would not apply for the funds, fearing donations would dry up if the public came to believe they were receiving government handouts.

That is up to them, but I think they should be reimbursed if they ask for it.

"Volunteer labor is just that: volunteer," said the Rev. Robert E. Reccord, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board. "We would never ask the government to pay for it."

Then permit me to pray that God blesses you and your organization. And if you change your mind and ask for reimbursement of your expenses, I hope the government provides it.

Shakespeare's Sister blogged Even the plonking Salvation Army is lobbying for reimbursement.


Stirling Newberry blogged It is also clear that the American Red Cross is so thoroughly corrupt that only a complete obliteration of its current executive structure will restore it to being capable of its historic mission to help those in need, rather than to assist those in greed

He said this because they supported paying the faith based groups

DonSurber blogged I thought religious groups such as the Salvation Army already received reimbursements. Why should Catholic Charities, for example, be denied reimbursement when the American Civil Liberties Union gets paid legal fees for suing the government? The churches ain't supposed to be in it for the money, but neither is the ACLU. Both have expenses. Pay. Beats the pants off of having a Department of Hurricane Beaters on the federal dole. Hey, I didn't see Americans United for Separation of Church and State volunteering to help shelter, feed and comfort flood victims.

Mustang Bobb blogged Are you out of what could charitably be called your collective minds?