A Day of Giving, Thanksgiving Day

My most memorable Thanksgiving Day started with standing in line at St. Augustine's,along side two of my darling daughters. We were waiting our turn to get food care packages and the directions for delivering them. We had heard Sr. Corita's call for volunteers so, here we were, on Thanksgiving morning, with coffee in hand. We were among a large crowd of people such as ourselves, everyone hoping there would be enough meals needing delivery, everyone, with fingers crossed, hoping they would be fortunate that day to participate in the Thanksgiving Day of those less so. That day we made three separate trips back and forth across town. I think we all learned many lessons that day but for me, it was a day of witnessing true poverty, a day of seeing true graciousness, gratitude and giving. It was a day for me to be so thankful for having precious children who think of others and give of themselves.

As the holiday season begins tomorrow, it seemed to me to be a good time to talk about 'giving'. The first statistic that caught my eye was that in 2013, those people making $200,000 or more, decreased their percentage of income donated by 4.6%. At the same time, those making $100,000 or less, increased their percentage of income donated by 4.5%. I find myself wondering if this is because the wealthy are fear-filled by the very real possibility that the stock market is going to start living in the real world or, if there is a feeling that they are making money so they just assume everyone is. I do believe the inverse of the latter is, indeed, why giving has increased for those earning less. These workers know how tough it is, they know their dollars are stretched thinner, that inflated food costs and, up until a few weeks ago, transportation costs are rising faster than they can earn. These workers, also, are aware of the serious problem we have of income inequality. These workers see the needs of those less fortunate than they. These workers know that homelessness and hunger are a very real possibility for their lives, too.

The prior statistics aside, there is so much to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Day. In 2013, a full 72% of us gave to charity in one form or another. That giving was to churches, charitable foundations, education, healthcare organizations, community funds, etc. Probably, the most incredible of giving statistics is that 64.5 million adults volunteered 7.9 billion hours of service, worth an estimated value of $175 billion. The average volunteer hour is worth $22.55. What an awesome, wonderful bit of information to share on this coming day of thanks. I hope there is an opportunity available, in your hometown, for your family to experience the true meaning of the day. It will be a wonderful memory for you all.

#thanksgiving #volunteer #giving #donate