The answers to your questions are provided above (under subject "Re: Friends Lobato Fix Fund Established - Beware - Not so fast ) by Don Richter (@ 9:16 am), John Cole (@ 10:28 am) and Curt Bianchi (@ 7:43 pm).
I thank those gentlemen for contributing their shares of information.
Don would probably prefer that this mini-storm go away, so I don't plan to say any more on the subject (besides whatever I would have said on the subject came from Curt, and you have now heard directly from him).
A person should feel free to donate anyway s/he feels comfortable doing. In your case, that obviously means mailing a check. Others, younger than either of us, may prefer to operate on-line. The important thing is to get the money to them