CNN 2012-07-31

  on an important story we've been following for months now. Trying to get answers "Keeping Them Honest."

 

We've told you about a number of supposed charities which have raised many millions of dollars but when we examined their tax filings we haven't been able to find much of any of that money going directly to the people or groups they claim to be helping¹. People like disabled veterans. 

 

One charity called the Disabled Veterans National Foundation, we found, has sent a shelter for homeless veterans thousands of bags of these. Coconut² M&M(美国的一种巧克力豆品牌). As absurd as it sounds, as insulting it is to common sense and most importantly to America's wounded warriors³, there's an organization out there claiming that coconut M&Ms and other useless knickknacks are just what the disabled veterans need. According to their tax returns, this charity, the Disabled Veterans National Foundation, the DVNF, has taken in, get this, $85 million in donations over the last four years. $85 million. And while we can't find much of any of that money being given directly to disabled veterans, the DVNF says they do give away what the group claims are millions of dollars in useful stuff to small veterans' charities around the country. 

 

Well, Drew Griffin has been following the money right from the start and he's been getting a lot of doors slammed in his face. However, Drew Griffin did manage to visit one of those small charities where he found some items that could help vets⁴. He also found a lot of useless so-called gifts in kind(以货代款), including those coconut candy M&Ms that apparently⁵ don't melt in your hand but sure leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. 

 

Roy Tidwell runs Charity Services International. A for-profit warehouse⁶ and distribution center in Fort Mill, South Carolina. 

 

We already sent out to hundreds of different organizations. We sent on behalf of our charities out to these organizations. We just handle the shipping⁷. 

 

Among his 50 clients are the SPCA International and the Disabled Veterans National Foundation. One supposedly helping pets. The other vets. And both as we previously⁸ reported taking in millions in donations while giving out almost nothing in cash. What they do give away is stuff. Like this stuff J.D. Simpson showed us. The Disabled Veterans National Foundation sent his homeless veterans shelter in Alabama. He got hundreds of pairs of shiny Navy dress shoes. Some emergency blankets. Some broken furniture. And lots and lots of coconut M&Ms. 

 

Didn't have a lot of use for 11,520 bags of coconut M&Ms. 

 

U.S. Vets, a charity in Prescott, Arizona, got an even stranger shipment from DVNF. Chefs coats. And football pants. 

 

Makes a real … 

 

Roy Tidwell says he arranged the shipments and insists both of these charities knew what he was sending and they wanted it. 

 

The group that got the chefs coat has no idea why they got chefs coat. Zero idea. And football pants? 

 

Well, they got them because … 

 

You think there's a homeless veterans football team out there? 

 

Absolutely. 

 

You do? 

 

Absolutely. There's 300-bed … 

 

In Prescott, Arizona? What is it, a minor⁹ league of homeless veterans running around playing football? 

 

I don't doubt that homeless vets play football, basketball … 

 

I'm sure you don't doubt it. 

 

Because you … 

 

But if you know I've talked to those people. They said they didn't need this stuff. 

 

They didn't need it and they shouldn't have approved the inventory¹⁰ when they got it. It doesn't just show up.

 

Actually, according to U.S. Vets, the vets group out in Arizona, those football pants and everything else did just show up. "We did not request chefs coats, hats, football pants or anything from Charity Services International," the group tells CNN. And U.S. Vets says, "officially requested DVNF and Charity Services International not to ship to us any more gifts in kind." 

 

As for the coconut M&Ms, J.D. Simpson says he did get an e-mail that candy was on the way. He didn't think much of it. Until 11,000 bags. One-half ton of coconut M&Ms, arrived. Chef coats and football pants and coconut M&Ms may be just about worthless to a bunch of homeless vets. But to the charities that sent them, they have real value. A value that seems incredibly inflated¹¹ when they are written down on charity tax returns. 

 

Take the SPCA International. A group that's raised $27 million to supposedly help soldiers and their pets. The group's manager wouldn't tell us anything about the money. 

 

No, I'm not going to reveal that, none of it, I can't answer any of your questions right now. Believe me, I would love to. 

 

But on its tax returns, we did learn about a certain shipment of animal medicines the SPCA International donated to an animal welfare group in Nepal. CNN was provided with the invoice¹². It shows an itemized list of drugs that the charity values at $816,000. A huge gift in kind. But when the gift arrived in Nepal, the charity receiving the drugs valued them for customs purposes at a mere¹³ $2500.

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 coconut   

n.椰子

参考例句：

• The husk of this coconut is particularly strong.椰子的外壳很明显非常坚固。
• The falling coconut gave him a terrific bang on the head.那只掉下的椰子砰地击中他的脑袋。

3 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

4 vets   

abbr.veterans （复数）老手，退伍军人；veterinaries （复数）兽医n.兽医( vet的名词复数 )；老兵；退伍军人；兽医诊所v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的第三人称单数 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• I helped train many young vets and veterinary nurses too. 我还帮助培训了许多年青的兽医和护士。 来自互联网
• In fact, we've expanded mental health counseling and services for our vets. 实际上，我们已经扩大了退伍军人的心理健康咨询和服务。 来自互联网

5 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

6 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

7 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

8 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

9 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

10 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

11 inflated   

adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨

参考例句：

• He has an inflated sense of his own importance. 他自视过高。
• They all seem to take an inflated view of their collective identity. 他们对自己的集体身份似乎都持有一种夸大的看法。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 invoice   

vt.开发票；n.发票，装货清单

参考例句：

• The seller has to issue a tax invoice.销售者必须开具税务发票。
• We will then send you an invoice for the total course fees.然后我们会把全部课程费用的发票寄给你。

13 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。