Tough times mean we must dig deeper to help those less fortunate

We usually see a strong upswing in charitable giving during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. It’s not that those needing assistance are fewer during other parts of the year; instead it’s that the spirit of this season often moves people to give a little more.

But the current economic downturn has resulted in less giving than normal from people and businesses bracing for tough times. There are simply fewer donors, and those who donate are giving less.

At the same time, charities are seeing a major surge in requests for help, and many food pantries are struggling to stock their shelves. Harvest Hope Food Bank, a charity that distributes food to South Carolina families facing hard times, reports experiencing as much as a 50 percent surge in demand in some regions.

The combination of fewer donations and greater need means many more people face the prospect of a Thanksgiving and Christmas season that includes hunger. That’s not something we should be willing to let happen. It’s our responsibility – as people of faith and as human beings created in the image of God – to help our neighbors. There are four meaningful ways we can all make a difference.

-- Perhaps most importantly, we can donate money to a worthwhile charity that serves the poor, such as Harvest Hope Food Bank, Oliver Gospel Mission, or the Salvation Army.

-- If we can’t contribute financially, we can lend a hand. Volunteering your time and effort frees up money that charities can then use to buy food and other supplies.

-- We can search our home cupboards for surplus non-perishable food items to donate, such as canned goods, pasta, crackers, rice, oatmeal, powdered milk and peanut butter. There’s also a need for diapers and personal hygiene items such as soap and toothpaste.

-- We can hold a canned food drive at our office, church, school or recreation center. We can find other groups to do the same, and compete to see who can collect the most. My office recently had such a competition with the offices of the State Agriculture Commissioner and the State Treasurer. It was a fun and productive way to support a worthy cause – in our case Harvest Hope Food Bank.

Yes, times seem tough all around. But while many of us may be feeling pinched right now, remember that there are many people in far less fortunate circumstances. If we stop to reflect, we’ll probably realize there are many, many blessings for which we should be thankful.

In these hard times, those of us who have enough and more to meet our own needs should prayerfully consider sharing our material blessings with those not as fortunate as we are. If we can, let’s dig a little deeper. But if we can’t give monetarily, let’s look for ways to volunteer our time at least once during this special season.