CHARITY DATABASE STARTED
December 04, 2006
by: jovial_cynic
by: jovial_cynic
I've done it!
For the last year, I've been collecting clothes, food, and money to give out to needy folks in my community, but I didn't have a system to keep an inventory of the items I've collected, nor established a way to effectively distribute the goods.
Today, I finally assembled a large part of the database that will house all of that data, providing a convenient way for me to enter items I have, as well as to allow other people to enter items they have, effectively creating a network of donators who can mobilize goods to deliver them where they are most needed. Not only does this eliminate the need for mass storage (ie., I'd really like people to stop bringing me bags of clothes...), but it allows people to contribute in a targetted manner. Instead of delivering a bag of clothing to a charity, a person can list the items they have available and be notified when a particular family has a need that the particular person can directly meet. Of course, this will require a bit of transportation logistics, but in the end, I think it'll work nicely to know that you donated to a particular person or family in your own community.
Anyhow, I've got a bit more constructing to do, and I have to build some database tables that will account for goods other than clothing. Things like food, furniture, dishes, appliances, etc., etc., have to be considered, and I have to figure out a handy way to sort all of that data. In the meanwhile, I've got about 12 large bags of clothing to dump into the database...
For the last year, I've been collecting clothes, food, and money to give out to needy folks in my community, but I didn't have a system to keep an inventory of the items I've collected, nor established a way to effectively distribute the goods.
Today, I finally assembled a large part of the database that will house all of that data, providing a convenient way for me to enter items I have, as well as to allow other people to enter items they have, effectively creating a network of donators who can mobilize goods to deliver them where they are most needed. Not only does this eliminate the need for mass storage (ie., I'd really like people to stop bringing me bags of clothes...), but it allows people to contribute in a targetted manner. Instead of delivering a bag of clothing to a charity, a person can list the items they have available and be notified when a particular family has a need that the particular person can directly meet. Of course, this will require a bit of transportation logistics, but in the end, I think it'll work nicely to know that you donated to a particular person or family in your own community.
Anyhow, I've got a bit more constructing to do, and I have to build some database tables that will account for goods other than clothing. Things like food, furniture, dishes, appliances, etc., etc., have to be considered, and I have to figure out a handy way to sort all of that data. In the meanwhile, I've got about 12 large bags of clothing to dump into the database...