T&E Care FAQ

What is T&E Care?

T&E Care is a group of community members seeking to help families who live in our area and have special financial and/or other needs (clothing, furniture, jobs, housing, etc.). We are people who want to help other people in our community and we want to try to avoid the red tape needed by most governmental agencies.

Does T&E Care work only with families impacted by Hurricane Katrina?

We organized in September 2005 specifically to help families impacted by Hurricane Katrina, but as time went on community members started to talk about similar needs for families right here in this area. As the 2005 holidays approached, we made contacts through the local schools and a few area families with special needs were anonymously identified as needing support. Lists of these families’ needs were disseminated to those involved with T&E Care. Many local community members stepped up and, within a few weeks, almost all of the identified needs were met. We realized we could help local families in need, so we expanded our focus to assist local families with needs.

What future plans does T&E Care have for helping families?

T&E Care will try to lend support to a local family who needs a little extra assistance when in a transition or emergency situation. We can’t make any promises since we are simply “families helping families” and not a formal government organization, but we feel confident that people in this community will do everything possible to help get the family back on its feet again. All requests for help are authenticated and in all cases we are very sensitive to confidentiality for those receiving the assistance.

Does T&E Care have administrative expenses?

T&E Care held its organizational meeting on February 23, 2006, at which time the Board agreed it would work only with unpaid volunteers and none of the directors or officers would receive any compensation for their services. We have no offices and therefore no related expenses. We do have a small amount of administrative expenses related to auditing fees, a PO Box, a website fee, and similar expenses totaling between 2-3% of the total budget.

Can financial donations be made to T&E Care?

We appreciate any donations at any time. We receive no government assistance so we rely on the goodness of local community residents, organizations, and businesses, plus a few granting foundations. All financial donations are used to help families in need. So far we’ve helped with items such as utility bills, the purchase of some household items, rent, daycare expenses, college start-up costs, medicines, counseling, car repairs, etc. Feel free to send in a donation anytime as directed on the donation page.

Do you accept donations via credit card?

We have a PayPal account as detailed on donation page. You can also donate using a credit card through this method.  Please note that there is a small fee we pay PayPal for this service. If you can send a donation via check, that saves us that fee.

Do you accept donations via Venmo? 

We do accept Venmo donations.  We have a Venmo account as detailed on donation page.  Please note that if you are new to T&E Care we won’t be able to say thanks unless you include your email address with your Venmo donation.  Thanks! 

Are you part of the United Way?

If you wish to make a donation via United Way, our official name is Tredyffrin & Easttown Care and our assigned number is 49470.

Are donations to T&E Care tax deductible?

All donations to T&E Care are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. T&E Care is an IRS recognized non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code. Our Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 04-3846699.

Are you expecting only monetary donations?

T&E Care has many opportunities for non cash donations including, clothing, computers, furniture, toys, books, etc. We need donations of new items for our school supply and holiday drives. We accept donations of gift cards. We also accept donations of cars. Besides “stuff” we really appreciate donations of time. Check out the many types of donations we accept on the various donation pages. The T&E Care network mobilizes as needed to respond to specific requests within the community, rather than searching for such needs. Note: We do not have storage for “stuff” so if we don’t have a specific need for something, then we likely won’t take it.

Can anyone join T&E Care?

Absolutely! We have no membership requirements except that you are someone who cares and wants to make a difference for other people. We’d love the entire community to become involved. By just adding your name to our volunteer/email list, you will be notified by email when needs occur. You will never be obligated to help out except when a situation touches your heart. We promise not to share your email information.

Does T&E Care need volunteers?

T&E Care wouldn’t exist without its volunteers. There are many ways volunteers can help out, see our volunteer page for suggestions of how to get involved.