Covid 19 and Charity (Patreon)

Covid 19 has hammered the world. Like, seriously, just put entire economies to a stop, put at least 20% of people out of work. Taken lives and forced a LOT of people to risk their lives, sometimes for not a lot of money.

Canada has done really, really well at helping people out. Or will be once the website is up. I'm super happy with our government, which is something I have heard from most people up here.

I've also seen a lot of charitable things happen. Giving away books free, giving music free, doing readings, etc.

My initial reaction was to do the same, but another author friend pointed out that all these free books also do another thing - they hurt the income of authors who might be struggling to make ends meet with the sudden changes. That... put me on hold.

I'm still taking part in a sale on Monday / Tuesday for A Gamer's Wish. I'm pledged to give away at least half my earnings. 

And that's where this post comes in.

I'm committing to give away at least the entirety of the series sales (Hidden Wishes) for March. That amounts roughly to around US$700 at the present moment. 

The question right now is where. Some of the options that have come to mind:

- Food banks & other charities. Advantage is they make your dollar stretch significantly more.

- Direct to readers / fan base. This is likely to be in allotments of I don't know... $200 or so. It'll help some people who need it, but it won't pay a mortgage bill. So... more good, and it's to people I know (sort of). The negative is that I'd have to ask for details to some extent to screen out people who are in need and those who are just idiots (not that I expect a lot, but it always pays to check).

- To a registered charity like the SFWA's who have a Covid 19 fund. That'll help other authors who are desperately in need of help, especially when editing jobs and other things dry up. Again, it's a specific smaller group but the advantage is they're a registered charity. So... yay(?)

- More generic charities for first responders, healthcare professionals, etc... 

The list goes on. I'm not entirely sure which way to go. 

I'm assuming that since most of you are still here and not deleted your Patreon accounts, you can afford to give a little to money. Which I guess puts you in a similar position to be able to understand my concern.

So. 

Recommendations? Suggestions? Where should I donate? Love to hear from you guys.