TUKWILA — When some Indonesian expatriates opened their own donation site for tsunami relief, they felt moved — and sometimes amused — by the outpouring of gifts.

An unemployed man from Bellevue presented $500 and said Allah would compensate him.

A 3-year-old boy handed over two tiger dolls and later broke down in tears, so his mother drove him back to the dropoff site, a mostly empty office building near Southcenter. "Can you give me the tigers back?" he asked. The boy finally kept one tiger and donated the other.

Organizers of the relief drive weren't sure what to do with a floral-patterned blue bikini, or the truck delivery of size 44 Wal-Mart trousers.

Still, Indra Djaja, Aang Suharja, and Tony Suharto decided they would accept every item. Turning something away, they said, would be an affront to the giver.

Clothing, toys and packaged food were soon piled toward the ceilings in a dozen rooms in the Tukwila office building. So many people showed up to sort the items that the partners could hardly supervise them.

So far, they've sent 2½ tons of medical supplies and other goods by air to the Indonesian province of Aceh. A container load will leave Tacoma next week, and it will take two more containers to handle what's left.

Their effort to help tsunami survivors, which has no name, amounts to a trickle compared to the U.S. government's $350 million pledge, or the $587 million that has reached U.S.-based relief agencies. And while nearly every other group solicits cash, the Tukwila group accepted all sorts of new and used goods.

The leaders admit their approach isn't necessarily the most efficient, but it has attracted donors who might otherwise be overlooked. As they take the cargo, they're spreading good will.

"In this bad time, we have the good feeling," Djaja said. "Somebody shows support and empathy."

Rookie philanthropists

Djaja and Suharja, both employed by the Indonesian aircraft company IPTN, spontaneously began taking donations the day after the Dec. 26 tsunami. (Suharto works for Boeing.)

"We feel the brothers and sisters over there are part of our body. This is our obligation, to help them over there, for the sake of God," said Djaja, who is Muslim.

At first, following a suggestion from an Indonesian government statement, they asked the public for "body bags." None turned up.

They did not register as a nonprofit, figuring it would take weeks to complete the federal request for 501(c)(3) status. They received $45,000 anyway, none tax-deductible.

"We are not aggressively searching for money," Suharja said. "The people who gave us cash are the people who know us."

Phantom Lake Elementary, where Djaja's 10-year-old son attends, delivered jars containing $561.

Many students at the Bellevue school have relatives in South Asia, Principal Jill McLeod said.

About 3,500 Indonesians live in Washington state, said Eddy Serang, president of the Indonesian Christian Community Association, whose members are contributing to the Muslim-led work in Tukwila.

Surveys of families in Indonesia show that 80 percent donate their time and half donate money to charities, said Una Osili, a professor at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. Islam requires zakat, or almsgiving, while almost everyone helps family and neighbors, she said.

"You have a long tradition of self-help and mutual assistance built into the culture."

Sorting things out

Local residents heard about the relief drive through mosques and through e-mail, plus a brief newspaper mention. Mexican immigrants showed up with donations after the Spanish-language Radio Sol, 1360 AM, broadcast from the dropoff site Jan. 9.

A Latino group from McChord Air Force Base collected baby supplies at the commissary and delivered them Thursday.

Some fellow Muslims left prayer rugs and beads. A Latino businessman from Bothell provided 2,000 lightweight blankets, one of the most needed items. A few donors brought bags of surplus Basmati rice, grown in India and now headed back across the Pacific. Boxes of hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol couldn't make the first cargo flight because of fire risks, but could go later by sea.

One challenge was telling people how to sort the donations. The leaders of the drive didn't feel comfortable bossing volunteers. People from Suharja's region in West Java are so modest they do not point with the index finger, he said.

Finally, a volunteer who works at Microsoft drew a triage chart. Lightweight clothes were marked "Indonesia." Heavy coats were stuffed into black garbage bags and labeled "Somalis," to be passed along to Somali refugees for the Seattle winter. The bikini and the oversize pants were directed to Goodwill.

Most of the goods have been suitable for Aceh, Djaja said. While the group quit accepting clothes a week ago, it is still taking tents, dry food and thin blankets.

Good intention

Of the $561 million U.S. nonprofits collected for tsunami aid, more than 90 percent is cash, according to the Indiana center. A few big charities have shipped specialty goods, such as water-purification equipment, bulk foods or antibiotics.

In recent years, agencies such as the American Red Cross have discouraged dropoff sites, Osili said.

Portland-based Mercy Corps will spend millions on work projects that pay survivors to clear debris or rebuild schools. The Seattle chapter of Asha, run by volunteers of Indian ancestry, has delivered $50,000 and seeks another $36,000 to repair fishing boats in a coastal village.

It's usually cheaper to buy items near a disaster zone, and cash can help jump-start ravaged economies. And with cash, agencies can adapt faster to changing needs, said Mercy Corps spokeswoman Susan Laarman.

However, less formal immigrant groups have an advantage in knowing what to send, and where to ship it, Osili said.

The Tukwila partners say they have zero overhead costs. They've arranged delivery through business associates in Aceh, while their company's usual shipping contractor, UTI, is providing about $7,000 in services.

Many people wouldn't find an outlet for their generosity through better-known agencies, Djaja said.

Some immigrants worried their donations might be skimmed if they gave to a government or bureaucracy, he said. Or they don't have cash.

In the first days after the tsunami, the United States was criticized when President Bush issued a preliminary aid pledge of $35 million. The United States later increased the pledge to $350 million.

Djaja said he has gained an insight into giving since then.

"Some very common people, who don't have the money, they have good intention. In reality, the people are so generous, and so compassionate."

Mike Lindblom: 206-515-5631 or mlindblom@seattletimes.com

Indra Djaja and Aang Suharja are still accepting tents, lightweight blankets, personal-hygiene items and medical supplies at their drop-off site in Tukwila. To give, call first at 206-575-6507.