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— Comments —

Sally writes:

I am struck by the fact that our government hands out free housing, food and health care to massive numbers of illegal immigrants daily, while there are people destitute like this American on the NYC streets. As he told his story, I cried with him. I am horrified over the gross injustice of our current system that perpetuates the misery of this man who has been punished for playing by the rules of a rigged system.

Laura writes:

This neglect of our own is pure treason.

I like the fact that this man admits he is partly to blame for his situation. He admits he was on drugs and regrets it.

Jay Fellowes writes:

“Charity begins at home” should be an honored adage.

The Bible talks about helping widows and orphans. In Jesus’ time, people probably knew the people they were helping or lived in the same community.

I recently moved from the socialist land of western Canada to a southern state in the U.S.  I am struck by how woven into everyday life community charity is here. There are very little services so it’s cultural to help one another directly. People recently created wooden boxes in common areas that hold non-perishable food for their neighbors, many times stocked by people who have very little extra themselves. People donate heaters and blankets during cold snaps and toiletries to the local schools to hand out. Our church has a Christmas gift drive for locals that is so fun to shop for, because you know it will help someone nearby — possibly someone you know or goes to your child’s school.  Members are very generous in what they provide and take it very seriously. The church preserves this local flavor and deters fraudsters by requiring recipients to provide a local address, proof of citizenship and need for financial assistance.  It just feels more personal to be involved in efforts like this. It also helps that you see Bible verses emblazoned on roadside signs, on bumper stickers, and even the police vehicles say “In God We Trust”  as a reminder.

It was not surprising to me to see that our area does well in terms of charitable giving, as evidenced by this visual:

Though I would argue that my Irish-Catholic immigrant ancestors who moved to the Midwest also knew a little something about helping their own!

As usual, thank you for this wonderful blog.  It is uplifting and thought-provoking reading every day.

Laura writes:

Thank you for your comments and for your kind encouragement.

That’s a really interesting graph. I never knew that!

The Bible talks about helping widows and orphans. In Jesus’ time, people probably knew the people they were helping or lived in the same community.

Such a good point.

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