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Kokua Line
Question: I am interested in donating my car to charity, and I seem to recall a number of charities accept cars. Can you list them along with an indication of what percentage of the donation actually goes to the charity? Quite a few
nonprofit groups accept
donated carsAnswer: Generally, charities that accept cars work with auction companies that charge set fees, depending on what the car sells for. We called a few nonprofit agencies accepting cars and were given various figures, ranging from $25 to $135. Towing charges may also be deducted.
The American Cancer Society, for example, gets about 75 percent to 80 percent back per vehicle, after towing, auction house and motor vehicle fees are deducted, a spokeswoman on the mainland said.
"That's about where most of us are," she said. "We're really working hard to keep those expenses down."
Call each agency directly to find out what their arrangements are. Here's a list of the nonprofits that give donors a tax deduction, as periodically listed in the Star-Bulletin's Do It! section:
Alu Like: 535-6721; American Cancer Society: 1-888-227-5500; American Heart Association: 538-7021; American Lung Association: 537-5966, extension 311; Arthritis Foundation: 942-3636.
Also, Boys & Girls Clubs of Honolulu: 246-0493; Easter Seals: 536-1015; National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii: 593-1515; Sex Abuse Treatment Center: 535-7613 or 834-6603; The Sylvester Foundation: 841-5493 or 554-2444.
Q: I've been reading about "mad cow disease" in Europe. Is there any carryover from cows to milk and any other dairy products?
A: Bovine spongiform encephalopathy ("mad cow disease") is believed to have a causal relationship with a disease in humans called new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
But according to the federal Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Infectious Diseases, "Milk and milk products from cows are not believed to pose any risk for transmitting the BSE agent."
"Mad cow disease" can be traced back to the 1970s in Great Britain, although it was not identified until 1986. It took another 10 years, in 1996, before a link was seen between it and the human disease, which cripples the nervous system (likely from eating contaminated beef).
Scientists believe mad cow disease was spread by recycling meat and bone meal from infected cows back into cattle feed. So far, the disease has only been found in Europe, although new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease -- with no connection to cattle -- is found elsewhere.
The current risk of BSE infection is said to be small -- about 1 case per 10 billion servings in the United Kingdom.
However, travelers to Europe are advised "to consider" avoiding beef and beef products altogether, or to select solid pieces of muscle meat rather than beef products such as burgers and sausages.
Mahalo
To a young couple. On Christmas Eve, we were stranded on Waimanu Home Road in Pearl City and didn't know how to get to 7th Avenue in Kaimuki. At the 7-Eleven store, we asked a young couple in a light blue or gray van for directions. They said, "We live on 6th Avenue so just follow us." They took us home through the night over the freeway. -- Yoshi
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com