Lots of times, Jerry, the simplest are the best.

My wife and I have been donating things to the local homeless shelter -- you know, usual kind of things, clothing and so. Then one day she got to talking with the folks there and it came out that what they REALLY needed were things like Tampax and deodorant and soap. So we switched, from clothes to "health and beauty aids." Simple stuff, but it never occurred to us before.

Or the quilt guilds around the country which make simple quilts (coverlets, actually, since they're not usually quilted, but tied) to women's shelters and abused kids shelters. I haven't seen it, but I've been told that some of the kids will hold onto one of these quilts like it was a loving parent because it's the only thing they've ever had of their own.

Libraries and other organizations around the Pacific NW (and around the country) have been donating surplus PCs to the Gulf Coast. Why? So that people can check the Internet for missing kinfolk, fill out forms online, and so forth.

A carload of children's books, sent to the shelters, wouldn't be amiss....