I’m really trying not to be part of the mass advertising campaigns littering the television and radio these days. It’s just nice to hear something other than political ads, right?!
This is the time of year when people are feeling generous, and everyone wants a piece of the pie. I’ve seen shoppers buying in bulk, preparing for their annual contributions to the folks who will be spending the holidays on the streets. “This year, I’m going to withdraw a few hundred bucks and buy blankets and coats for the homeless.”
Please, if this is your tradition as well, stop and think. Make those donations to charities that deal directly with the people. I know you want to give those coats and blankets out yourself, and the gratitude people show is heartwarming, but it doesn’t mean the same thing when you realize where those blankets end up. They’re just currency—traded in the tunnel for what the people really want. Yes, eventually, the coats and blankets will find their forever homes with people who are desperate enough to keep them. They’ll change hands a dozen or more times, often within a single day, before the trade ends. Ultimately, you’ve supplied a homeless drug dealer with a nice fleece-lined coat and down comforter, and a dozen drug addicts have taken their turns nuzzling them before the shakes demand more chemicals to ease the pain of withdrawal.
So, what’s a better tradition? Give to the institutions that work directly with the people—who know which shoulders to warm, and which beds to cover. If you must give directly to the homeless, give socks and underwear. These are the least likely possessions to be given up for anything. Do not give more than one of anything to anyone, unless you’re 100% positive that person will not trade the excess items for drugs or alcohol.
This is the season for giving, so give. Give abundantly and freely. Just give smart. It doesn’t have the same heartwarming ring when you say, “This year, I’m going to withdraw a few hundred bucks and use it to enable drug addicts to smoke meth and fentanyl in the city parks.”
There are good people on the streets tonight—people who need help. I know a handful of them, and warm coats are not what they need. They need a job, a lawyer, an address, medical attention, protection, personal documents, and transportation. A blanket is a temporary bright spot which brings far more joy to the giver than to the recipient. This year, consider supporting the institutions that are working in the field, identifying the people who want, need, and deserve help, and giving what is truly needed for long-term life-changing aid. The Tunnel is such an institution. Youth on Their Own and Gospel Rescue Mission are others. There are more. Do some research, forego the joy of seeing smiles on the faces of your local addicts, and give without thanks to good and decent people you will probably never meet. That is the true measure of generosity.
Please consider sharing this email with those dear to you, along with a personal note of introduction. Don’t spam your friends and family this holiday season, be courteous. Your words are a generosity all their own!