These two 1947 broadcasts mark the start and finish of the Friendship Food Train's U.S. journey, a project conceived to help the people of Europe get through the winter. 

At a banquet hall usually reserved for wedding receptions in Howard Beach hundreds of families affected by Sandy received an early Christmas surprise courtesy of the relief group Secret Sandy.

Economists are a notoriously self-interested bunch. But a British outfit called Pro Bono Economics is giving away its services to selected charities.

With so much money having been donated for Sandy relief and during the election cycle, many non-profits are worried that there will be a “giving hangover” this holiday season. Sol Adler, CEO of 92nd Street Y and founder of "Giving Tuesday", and Willie Rapfogel, executive director of Met Council, a social service agency, discuss how organizations are looking to raise money and the possibility of deduction reform as part of the "fiscal cliff" negotiations.

In the past two years, Haiti relief has been the focus of Julliard-educated musician Romel Joseph.  After Joseph was trapped in the rubble of his music school, The New Victoria, he pledged to rebuild his school and raise funds for his ravaged home country. Victoria and Bradley Joseph, Romel’s daughter and son, both musicians with Friends of Music Education for Haiti, explain what they hope to accomplish.

Looking to help a family affected by Hurricane Sandy? We're collecting a list of places to donate, volunteer and receive help for the holidays.

In a major investigation conducted by Bloomberg Markets, senior reporter David Evans found that the American Cancer Society, among other major charities in the United States, have signed suspicious contracts with telemarketers to raise money.

A handful of do-gooders are opening the first non-profit brewpub in the brewpub capital of the world, Portland. Staffed entirely by volunteers, The Oregon Public House expects to donate up to $10,000 each month to local charities and community organizations.

A small town in Germany has found that a mysterious person is leaving envelops filled with money around in an overwhelming display of generosity. Envelopes stuffed with 10,000 Euros, or about $13,000, have been found recently in the town of Braunschweig. Steve Evans of our partner the BBC reports from the scene of a generosity mystery.

Here's some uplifting news for the holiday season. A new study finds that in 2011 Americans were the most generous people in the world. The U.S. rose from fifth place on the "World Giving Index" in 2010 to number one this year. Ireland placed second, followed by Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain. What tipped the scale in the U.S.'s favor this year was not just monetary donations, but volunteer work and kindness to strangers.

The charity group City Harvest expects to deliver more food than ever this holiday season. The organization and other regional food banks may also get some help under a new initiative launched by Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The late British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, who committed suicide in 2010, left £50,000, or $81,500 in his will for the continual care of his three dogs Minter, Juice, and Callum.

Tough guys, fast cars — you may tell your children to stay away from such a crowd, but there are actually numerous car clubs that defy that stereotype. Dr. Brenda Gross-Nixon, aka "The Church Lady," is part of the Lady Ryderz, who along many other clubs hold fundraisers in Brooklyn to better the community. This past weekend, Circuit Family Police and Clergy held a fundraiser to raise $25,000 for a gun buy-back program.

CBS "60 Minutes" is not widely broadcast inside Afghanistan or Pakistan, but you wouldn't know it from the reactions from a story over the weekend. In a take down of the  famous book, "Three Cups of Tea," CBS disputed the veracity of Greg Mortenson's his charity work. CBS also took issue with the finances of his work in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The BBC's Bilal Sawary reports from Kabul.

U2, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry are among the megastars teaming up to benefit earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan. But their compilation, “Songs for Japan,” will have a long road to match the success of early efforts like “We Are The World” and Live Aid. We look at why contemporary charity singles and albums tend to fall short. 

More than a week after the March 11 earthquake hit, eyes, hearts and browser windows have been trained on Japan. Here is a list of events happening around the city to raise funds.

Rosie Perez  joins us to discuss her charity, the Urban Arts Partnership, which is being featured on an upcoming episode of Cause Celeb on NBC. The show will focus on Fresh Prep, an innovative hip hop-based curriculum and teacher support program.

It’s the season of giving, when we’re all told that it’s better to give than receive. But if so, why don’t we all give to charities? And what would motivate us to give more? These are questions that Stephanie Brown explores. Brown, an Associate Professor of Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University, has developed theories on why people give, and why they don’t.

Later today, a philanthropic collaborative called Living Cities will announce $80 million in grants, loans and investments that it will split among five cities: Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Newark, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Considering the size of major American city budgets, an average of $15 million isn't actually a ton of money, considering some of the systemic problems facing each of those cities. Living Cities hopes to use the cash as seed money, aiming to to stimulate self-sustaining urban renewal projects that will help each area for years to come.  

So has Living Cities found a way to get the most ameliorative bang for their philanthropic buck?

Julianne Moore is one of the most accomplished actors of our day. She’s appeared in dozens of critically acclaimed films—including "The Hours," "Boogie Nights," "A Single Man," and "The Kids are All Right." She’s been nominated for four Oscars. She’s won a Golden Globe.