I overheard a conversation with a local church volunteer who had been up to Upala and he was answering questions about how people were doing. What struck me was his insight that mostly people are experiencing a great sense of fear and uncertainty as a result of the feeling that people will simply forget about them once the holidays have come and gone. And it started me thinking about holiday giving in places across the globe. What if there was a way to harness all that good and spread it out throughout the year?
Truth is, while the holidays are definitely a wonderful time to give back, there are people who are in need all year round. In order to make strides toward a truly better world for everyone, we ought not keep our giving spirit bottled up for most of the year, letting our charitable goodness flow only a couple months out of the year.
Admittedly I’m in the same boat. Philanthropic thoughts are usually not at the top of mind unless the holidays are approaching or in the aftermath of some kind of monumental tragedy.
I thought of some simple ideas that might feel doable and figured even if five or ten other people try some of the same things, we’d be on our way to giving that holiday spirit the longer shelf life our world so desperately needs.