Jul. 29--The check is in the mail -- almost -- if you are one of the lucky ones getting a homestead rebate.

And if you're one of the really lucky ones, someone who can survive perfectly well without the money, I hope you'll consider joining me in donating it to feed people who do need help.

Last month, as the legislature was debating the fate of the homestead rebate, I said there was something wrong with seniors -- myself included -- getting rebates based on age, not need.

"Frankly, I don't need the money," I wrote. "Don't get me wrong; I am decidedly middle class and could use the extra cash, especially after seeing a big chunk of my retirement funds wiped out by the recession. But I don't need it."

And that is why I am donating my rebate to charity.

Thanks to a windfall from the state's tax amnesty program, the legislature extended the program to homeowners with incomes of $75,000 of less, regardless of age, in addition to those initially targeted for rebates, the disabled and seniors with taxable incomes of $150,000 or less.

But I still feel uneasy getting money from the state simply because I have reached age 65, while younger residents, who are struggling to feed their families, are being shut out.

So, as the state prepares to distribute our checks -- that should happen by the end of the week -- I ask fellow seniors to join me in donating your windfall from Trenton to the Center for Food Action, the Englewood-based non-profit that provides emergency food to those in need.

Last year, CFA distributed 42,000 emergency food packages to families in one of the nation's most affluent areas.

I realize that there is a wide financial divide among seniors, with many living on tight budgets. For them, the rebate check will be a blessing. But many of us are financially secure, and the check for up to $1,200, while welcome, would not be missed.

If 99 of you join my wife and me in making donations -- several already have -- we can raise $100,000 for this worthy cause.

Send your check directly to the CFA (Center for Food Action, 192A W. Demarest Ave., Englewood, NJ 07631) or to a similar organization, such as St. Peter's Haven in Clifton or St. Paul's CDC in Paterson, which also do great work.

Either way, write "Kevin's Challenge" on the memo line.

Why not turn your "gift" from the governor into something that will make a difference? For more information or to make a donation, call 201-569-1804 or go to www.cfanj.org.

Processing fee

An increasing number of companies are giving discounts for doing business online or charging extra if you need to deal with a real person. But that doesn't explain what a reader experienced from the U.S. Postal Service:

I'll be moving soon and decided to change my address online. I was so pleased with myself for being able to do it until I got to the last screen which asked for a credit card number so the USPS could charge me $1 for processing the change! I went to my local office today and did it for free!

That's the first I heard of such a thing, and it makes no sense. Charging extra for using a paper and pen process can be justified because it is time-consuming. But this would seem to be an efficient, time-saving method.

On the post office Web site, www.usps.gov, you're told that "a simple $1 charge to your credit or debit cards" goes to "safeguard your personal information with identity verification," but there are no details.

That sounds like bureaucratic double talk for charging for what they should be doing in the normal course of business.

Check for "Your Money's Worth" blogs at njmg.typepad.com/moneyblog and add your comments. Highlights appear in Wednesday's Record. E-mail: demarrais@northjersey.com

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