The holidays are a time to help others
As we clear the Thanksgiving leftovers out of our refrigerators and head toward Christmas, the American mood right now is probably more “bah, humbug,” than “goodwill to men!”
COVID-19 appears to have gotten a demoralizing fourth wind, with cases shooting up in Western Pennsylvania and other parts of the country. Inflation has taken a bite out of consumers’ wallets more than any other time in the last 30 years, and the country is perhaps even more fiercely divided than it was just a few years ago. The gloomy disposition has pounded President Biden’s approval numbers despite the legislative success of his infrastructure package.
On the bright side, the smart money has most of our current difficulties being temporary. The coronavirus will eventually subside, though there’s room for worry about new mutations and how much more illness and death the world will endure. Several economists have convincingly argued that this bout of inflation is less like the runaway inflation of the 1970s than the inflation that followed the end of World War II, as the country demobilized and pent-up consumer demand was unleashed. Issues with the global supply chain that have been stemming the flow of goods will eventually be ironed out. There’s reason to believe the whole economic picture will improve in the months ahead.
Nevertheless, COVID-19 and rising prices have exacerbated the woes many people have been experiencing. Families that were already struggling are having to pay even more for basics. As we embark on this season of gift-giving and generosity, those who can afford to might want to lend a hand to the region’s many nonprofit organizations through donations of money, time or expertise.
Starting on Thanksgiving Day and continuing through Christmas, the 蘑菇视频 again will be highlighting nonprofits in a series called “Helping the Helpers.” Readers will be able to learn what these organizations need and how they can assist. In Thursday’s edition, the newspaper looked at the Uniontown Salvation Army and how individuals can help. The organization is seeing more families apply for holiday meals and for the Angel Tree program, which provides Christmas gifts to local children.
The Salvation Army also operates Sally’s Kitchen, which recently reopened for indoor lunches.
But Sally’s Kitchen is meant to provide more than food, Captains Erin Rischawy and Danielle Hopping said in Thursday’s edition. “I want to erase the stigma of the words ‘soup kitchen,'” Rischawy said. “We don’t want it to just be a place where homeless people come, or people who are down on their luck. We want it to be a place where we make a connection.”
Local children are also served through the Love in a Backpack program, which provides weekend food to elementary students in the Laurel Highlands School District. They hope to expand the program next year to more schools, which will require more funding. The program now serves 100 children at a cost of $20,000 annually.
“We need the community to help us,” Hopping said. “It’s so great to see the kids smile. We want to make sure the kids grow up healthy and safe.”
They are also looking for volunteers to pack the backpacks with food on Wednesdays and to serve in Sally’s Kitchen early in the week.
Lending a hand to others will be good for the entire community this holiday season. It might also help many of us move beyond that “bah, humbug” mood.