Duggars Criticized For Asking For Donations After Spending Thousands Of Dollars On Tree House While Filming New TV Show

The Duggars are being criticized for asking for money once again. The family is collecting money for the children of Jill Duggar Dillard’s Spanish teacher, but some fans think that the Duggars should easily be able to come up with the funds that the children need without asking their faithful followers to cough up some of their own hard-earned cash. There’s also an issue with the way the Dillards’ donation page is set up: If donors skip one crucial step, any money intended for the kids will go straight to Jill and her husband, Derick Dillard, instead.

On their Family Facebook page, the Duggars let fans know that they recently received a “praise report” from Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard, who are currently doing mission work in El Salvador that includes counseling married couples.

“We just received a praise report from the Dillards!” the Duggars wrote on their Facebook page. “They have almost received enough donations for Ignacio’s English schooling for the whole year. If they are able to raise another $500, they will be able to cover tuition for both of Jessica’s sons for a whole year. If you are able to contribute even $5 it would help so much!”

The Duggars recently starred on a three-part TLC special titled Jill & Jessa: Counting On, so a few confused fans are wondering why members of the Duggar family don’t use their TLC paychecks to help the sons of Jill Duggar’s Spanish teacher.

“Why not take some money of your new counting on and give that to your calling of helping this family,” Jodie Brown wrote in response to the Duggars’ Facebook post. “If it’s your mission you need to realize you may have to invest yourself into helping there.”

“Duggars, dig deep and send them 500 bucks yourself. You’ve got millions what’s $500? I’m sure that God will reward you tenfold,” Patricia Muro Flynn commented.

“I agree, your family is so blessed by the Lord and I am so happy you have been gifted with so much money that $500 is nothing,” Linda Robson wrote. “So thankful you will be able to help with this mission. God bless you.”

Starcasm reports that Jim Bob Duggar’s net worth was estimated to be around $3.5 million in 2014.

According to Radar Online, the Duggars proved that they definitely aren’t struggling financially during a recent family trip to a lumber yard in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Last week, Jana Duggar and John David Duggar showed up at Ridout Lumber with three younger siblings in tow. TLC has not confirmed or denied whether the network plans to air a new show or special centered on the Duggars, but Jana and John David’s posse also included a TLC camera crew. The Duggar twins reportedly spent $3,500 on wood and other materials that they plan on building a tree house with, and there’s a high likelihood that this family construction project will be shown on a future TV special or series starring some (or possibly all) members of the Duggar family.

The revelation that the Duggars are possibly getting paid to star on yet another TLC show will likely make their fans even more curious about why they simply don’t fork over the aforementioned $500 themselves.

The link that the Duggars included in their Facebook plea for English lesson funds does not go to a special donation page that has been set up for the sons of Jill Duggar’s Spanish teacher. Instead, it goes to the same donation page that Jill and Derick are using to fund their mission trip. The Duggars don’t explain that donors have to use the comments section of the form to specify that they want their money to go toward the kids’ English lessons, and if donors leave this space blank, their money will go straight to Jill and Derick instead.

Some commenters on the Duggar family’s Facebook page are confused about who the Duggars are asking their fans to help.

“Who are Ignacio and Jessica?” Lexi Smith asked.

It would probably help if the Duggars included a link to a blog post that Jill and Derick recently shared. In the post, they inform fans that they’re trying to raise money so that Jill Duggar’s Spanish teacher, Jessica, can afford English lessons for her two sons, 10-year-old Ignacio and 8-year-old Pablo.

“Jessica shared with Jill how she wants better opportunities for her boys to have a better future,” Derick and Jill wrote on their website. “She explained that young people in Guatemala who know English are able to get better jobs than those who cannot speak/read the language. Knowing English would also better prep them should they decide to pursue a life in America.”

Unlike the post on the Duggar family Facebook page, Derick and Jill’s blog entry does include a sentence instructing fans that they need to use the comments section of the donation page to note that they want their money to go to Jessica’s family.

What do you think of the Duggars latest money plea? Are you surprised that they’re asking for $500 when it would seemingly be easy for the family to come up with the cash themselves?

[Image via Duggar Family Official Facebook]