Police and Firefighters They call us multiple times a day and request donations. We have given many donations since my husband and myself were first responders. Oxford MD

These individuals allegedly solicit money to support first responders, police and firefighters.  As a former first responder, I felt highly inclined to donate.  My husband is also a former first responder so he vouched for these callers. 

I never received a tax form for my donation but if I feel that I am giving to a good cause, I do not request a tax form.  They call three to four times a day to ask for additional credit card donations.  They got our phone number after my husband was granted POA for my father-in-law, who is 78 years old, bedridden, with severe cerebral palsy, and was very lonely. 

They stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from him, liquidating his savings to the point that we had to hire professionals (thousands to attorneys, thousands to agencies helping him to get into a safe nursing home) and to ensure that he obtained medicaid and health insurance to cover his nursing home costs. 

I am more than willing to donate to legitimate agencies such as:  Helping Up Mission, Marian House, House of Ruth, and the Weinberg Homeless Shelter.  Those agencies always send information about their agency, give web sites, and send us updates via mail about the good work that they do with vulnerable citizens.