Charity News Roundup

Here are some of the new and continuing charity stories in the headlines this week.

• With gasoline prices in the neighborhood of $4.00 per gallon, charities such as Meals On Wheels are having trouble recruiting and retaining volunteers. To help combat this problem, Rep. Robert E. Latta (R-Ohio) has introduced a bill into Congress to raise the tax deduction for automobile usage for charity work from its current level of 14 cents per mile to the level allowed for business deductions - 58.5 cents per mile.
• There is a concern within the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that they may not receive a lot of honest feedback on the effectiveness of their grants. It's an unfortunate byproduct of being the largest philanthropic foundation in the world - very few people will want to say anything that might turn you against them.
  
• It's now more than three months since Cyclone Nargis devastated Myanmar, but the United Nations reported this week that conditions in that country are still dire. Many are concerned that donations for assistance are drying up due to the Myanmar government's poor handling of the situation.
• Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington has donated $100,000 to help save the athletics program at Mount Vernon High School in Mount Vernon, NY. Mr. Washington said that he never attended the school himself, but that he made the donation in honor of the local Boys & Girls club, which had a positive influence on him as a boy.