About Red Cross donations:

About Red Cross donations:
Myth: Families of victims are not receiving Red Cross financial assistance.
Fact: Between Sept. 11 and Oct. 30, the Red Cross provided $111.3 million in direct assistance.
Myth: The American Red Cross is spending $109 million on accounting, database management and telecommunications upgrades.
Fact: The Red Cross spent $1.7 million to expand its system to process and acknowledge the heavy volume of contributions. It created two nationwide toll-free hot lines: (866) GET-INFO for public requests for assistance and (877) 746-4989 specifically for families who lost loved ones in the Sept. 11 attacks. The Red Cross also spent $800,000 to increase the bandwidth of its public Web site to handle inquiries.
Myth: Money donated to the Liberty Fund is being diverted from its intended purpose or placed into the general fund.
Fact: All money donated to the Liberty Fund is being used for its intended purpose: to help everyone affected by the Sept. 11 attacks.
Myth: Family gifts are loans.
Fact: The gifts are not loans. Absolutely no payback is required.
Myth: The Red Cross is refusing to participate in New York State Attorney General Elliot Spitzer's victim database program.
Fact: The Red Cross is working directly with other relief organizations to coordinate efforts and is in discussion with Spitzer regarding a database.
Source: American Red Cross