Like a Christmas tree, awareness of the plight of needy people in our country is raised weeks before the holidays and lowered soon after the last college bowl game. But for more than 33 million Americans, the struggle to provide their families with food and shelter doesn`t end when we sing ”Auld Lang Syne.”
Since mid-1980, hunger in the United States has grown by 50 percent. Nearly one-eighth of the U.S. population is affected by hunger. Those figures do not reflect the recent surge of ”new poor”-the elderly couple on fixed-income, the unemployed executive, the divorced mother of two, the young couple earning minimum wage-all forced by tough economic times to seek assistance from soup kitchens, food pantries and other hunger-fighting organizations. For them, hunger is not a holiday issue; it`s a yearlong struggle to survive.
For many of us, bringing three cans of creamed corn for the office food drive or dropping a dollar in the holiday fund at the local quick mart is the extent of our giving-and that is wonderful. Likewise, not-for-profits are inundated with requests from people who want to help serve a holiday meal or bring a canned ham to a needy family. Every little bit helps. But the true Kris Kringles are those dedicated men and women who donate their time, money and skills to helping feed hungry people year-round.
If you really want to make a difference in the lives of your needy neighbors, make a special resolution this new year. Pledge to support your local food bank, soup kitchen or homeless shelter throughout the year. Would a donated meal on Christmas be enough to tide you over until next Thanksgiving?
