Show charity year-round

I always feel a little bad for the Salvation Army bell-ringers. Lots of people do anything they can to avoid them, like putting their heads down, walking around them quickly or using another entrance and exit from the store.



And still they stand, silently soliciting by their lone kettles. I stopped to talk to one in Ellenton recently on my way into Publix. I only had a couple of dollars, but as always, it was appreciated. And I hated to ask, but since we are living in scary economic times, I wondered how the donations were faring.



Horribly, he told me. No one has any money to spare, which means the less fortunate shall get less help. It's everywhere; every time I turn on the news there's an update on the crisis situation in our food pantries and homeless shelters. Things are dire.



"Maybe things will perk up soon," I told him. "Then next Christmas will be a little better for all."



But he told me something that we all know in our hearts but tend to forget in the minutia of everyday life: "We need to give all year. Not just as Christmas."



How true. People are poor year-round; children don't stop needing clothing and toys because the holiday season has ended. Families don't stop needing food on the table. And I took a look at my life after he said this, and counted how many times I've cleaned out the pantry and tossed away things that the soup kitchens could have used. How many articles of clothing have been gotten rid of with the tags still on them.

We need to show charity as much as we can, not just at this time of the year. So I'm urging all my readers, join with me. Make a pledge for the New Year to give something to those who have nothing.