If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you!
From the John Denver/Muppet Christmas special, one of my all time favorites:
Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man’s hat
If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do
If you haven’t got a ha’penny then God bless you!
Which brings me, sadly, to the point of this post. I read yesterday, and then heard on NPR later in the day, that donations to charities are abysmally low this year.  The newspaper article was mainly talking about gifts of toys and clothing, both new and used. The radio story (from The News Hour) was about donations of food to food banks.
The gist of these stories is that people aren’t giving as much this year as they have in the past. And the difference is striking…the newspaper article said that a local organization that usually receives more than 8,000 toys that it distributes for Christmas, this year has only received 500. They usually receive 22,000 items of clothing, and this year, only 1,000. More alarming is that food banks are having to turn people away, and that the number of people depending on food banks for all or some of their nutritional needs has increased to over 35 million, right here in the United States. People often assume that the only folks who get food from food banks are homeless, and there’s a perception out there that homeless folks are homeless by choice, so really, who cares. Of course, not everyone feels this way, or the food banks wouldn’t exist. So many people donate to food banks throughout the year, have food drives, give money to charities that feed people, like America’s Second Harvest. But in addition to homeless people, many people who are simply down on their luck rely on food banks. One family they were talking about on the radio was a two income family, where the husband was struck by cancer, and the wife by a severe case of shingles, and their health care costs were so high, they were going hungry. Another was a man who had worked for the same company for 15 years, before it went out of business, and left him out of work, and for the first time in his 60 years of life, he was going without meals.Â
I bring this up not because I think people are more stingy this year than in the past. I think the economy is worse this year than it has been, and people don’t have as much disposable income as they did a year or two ago. Or as much as they have had for the last 20 years. I think that people who give to charity on a regular basis will continue to do so, whether they have a lot of money or not, but that understandably when they have less money in their own pockets, they then have less to share with others.
So, next time you’re at the store, see if you can find some ‘buy one, get one free’ items, and pop a few in the food barrel at the grocery store. Maybe write a check to your local food bank. Donate online. If you have a bunch of clothes in your closet, taking up space, that you don’t want or need anymore, take them to Goodwill or a shelter. People want and need them badly. And if you are not in the position to give this year, then as the song says, “God bless you”, and hopefully things will turn around for you soon.Â
7 Comments
Maya's Granny
When I worked at Catholic Community Services, many of my clients visited the food bank once a month. These were young single mothers who were working and still not able to make ends meet. Some of them even had food stamps, and it just wasn’t enough. If a child goes through a growth spurt, it can take out the food stamps very fast.
Jenny
This is so true. A friend of mine has to take advantage of the food bank and Catholic charities and he works. I am to the point myself that I might live in a shelter even though I have a job to get out from under debt. It is like that alot of places and for lots of families in this country. It is so sad that anyone has to live like that. And though I want to help anyone in the world who needs it, I wish we would do more to help the people of this country before helping others and leaving ours behind starving.
lalunas
Well, you can find really nice toys at good prices, you just have to watch for sales. This year with not much in the pocket book, we still managed to donate food and toys. I think if people reach down in their pockets they can find something to support local charities at this time of the year. You go J, your blog was really nice!!!
lilalia
If the economy is not good then it is understandable if we cannot give so much money. Still, we can give of our goods and time. I really don’t know anyone who doesn’t have some extra books, or canned goods, or clothes, or children toys. I don’t ever remember reading a news article about how the spending/donating is going in general. It is obviously something we all need to be reminded or informed about. Your post has made me want to go out and question where I can get this information. Thanks.
Joan
We do assistance where I work. It can be pretty depressing. Thanks for reminding people.
Py Korry
I remember talking to a person from Open Heart Kitchen (which is like a soup kitchen in Livermore) and she was saying that most folks who come to get the free meals do work, but don’t have enough money to buy a week’s worth of food, so they go to Open Heart to get a meal or two.
josey
i love this post. thank you so much for sharing. we really really do have more than we need…anyone who has the internet probably has more than they need! if we could only realize what a few dollars’ worth of green beans, bread, peanut butter, etc…would do to help a family who is less fortunate than us! we easily drive thru mcd’s and spend $5 on junk food for ourselves. if we skipped doing that, we could help someone else! and…we need to do this all year round! i completely agree with you that people are more stingy this year. its so sad!
(okay, im done now. hehe.)
btw, i absosmurfly love the john denver christmas with the muppets as well (i miss him!). i really love the Muppet Christmas Carol, too!! =D
happy new year!