The latest Mariah Carey news is the $30,000 she reportedly racked up in a month in New York vet’s fees for her three dogs, then didn’t pay. Reading the story though, the first thing that crossed my mind wasn’t “Oh the poor vet, not getting Mariah Carey’s money”, but instead “Imagine how much $30,000 could buy at a New York City homeless shelter”.
The United States has the highest numbers of homeless people in the developed world, yet celebrities like Mariah Carey who walk past the homeless every day, obviously think it’s better to spend a year’s income for an average US family of four on three dogs – in a month! On the other hand, if she’d given the $30,000 to a homeless shelter, this is what Mariah Carey could have bought.
The Bowery Mission – New York’s Bowery Mission, a non-profit that helps the homeless and particularly families with children, reports a donation of only $15.90 would buy food for 10 people. That means, for the $30,000 Mariah Carey reportedly spent on her three teeny tiny dogs, if she’d donated the money to The Bowery Mission, they could have provided one meal for 18,867 people.
The Bowery Mission even has a program where they send a New York City homeless child to a summer camp for a week at a cost of $400. For the $30,000 Mariah Carey spent on her dogs, she could have paid for 75 homeless kids to spend a week in the country where they would be fed nutritious food and have fun, alli in the clean air of the Pocono Mountains.
New York City Rescue Mission – At the New York City Rescue Mission, Mariah Carey’s $30,000 vet fees would have given help to 14,696 homeless people as, according to them, a donation of only $89.76 helps them help 44 people.
Mariah Carey’s vet money could also pay for the equivalent of 15,000 meals ($2 per meal), which is a month’s supply of nutritious meals for the homeless in Lower Manhattan. It could even fund the New York City Rescue Mission’s entire Food Services Program for three weeks.
Finally, according to Joe Little, the NYC Rescue Mission’s spokesperson, that $30,000 would fund their Annual Mother’s Day Banquet, which helps 500 homeless moms and kids celebrate Mother’s Day. And, the mission would even invite Mariah Carey to be their honorary MC.
The New York City Rescue Mission provides food, clothing, shelter, counseling and spiritual hope and tries to help New York’s homeless get back on their feet.
City Harvest – City Harvest provides food to the hungry in New York city, many of whom are homeless or down on their luck. $1,000 will help City Harvest feed 150 men, women and children for a month and $2,000 helps them feed 25 children for a year.
If Mariah Carey had given $30,000 to City Harvest, she could have fed 4,500 men, women and children for a month or 375 children for a year.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not against owning dogs and loving them like they’re your own children. My family and I have had dogs all our lives and always treat them like one of the family. But there’s a big difference between treating a dog well and spending normal amounts on vet fees and treating it like a superstar.
Of course, Mariah Carey can spend her money anyway she wishes – it’s her money. I just hope Carey, and other celebrities like her, will stop and think sometime where that money could have gone and how many people it could have helped. Spent more wisely that is.
SOURCES:
Mariah Carey owes vet $30,000 for 1 month of doggy care – Yahoo OMG
The Bowery Mission, New York City
New York City Rescue Mission
City Harvest, New York City
