There are many different movements sweeping across the country right now. These are grass roots opportunities for the average person to get involved in their community. Some movements, like the Smiley & West, Poverty Tour have been greatly publicized. Following this stirring charge to address the suffering of the poorest among us, came Occupy Wall Street.
Sentiments sparked by these movements have gone from state-to-state. There are millions of other citizens that want to get involved and to take a stand. Some of these individuals live in remote locations. Others simply don’t know where to get started. You don’t have to reside in a mega-city in order to tackle issues like poverty. Surprisingly, there are things that people can do right where they are.
Help your neighborsOne of the things that have become old-fashioned in our culture is to simply help the people around us. We would probably be surprised to find out what the needs are of our neighbors. Believe it or not, this is a place to start with tackling poverty. There are people who are cruising the line of poverty all around us. You could help your neighbors by providing a meal once a week. This is an inexpensive way, in most cases, to show love and to supply a need.
Start a pantrySome churches keep a pantry on hand for those in need. Addressing the issues of hunger is a big challenge. A good place to start is to begin your own pantry. It doesn’t take a lot of funds to stock up on sale items, most non-perishable. These are things that can be shared with your circle or friends or those needier. A garage, storage closet, and other small storage facilities can make a great pantry.
Support giving organizations
If the Speed of Life prevents you from doing more, why not support organizations that are already up and running? This may be your local soup kitchen, homeless shelter, or national organization. These outlets need the financial support of everyone willing to give. They also welcome volunteers, which is another opportunity for you to tackle poverty where you live.
There are so many even little things we can do aren't there? My daughter will be making shoeboxes on Friday!
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I think are great is when a church shuts down it's services for an entire weekend, as Saddleback Church will be doing, to go out into the neighborhood and help those less fortunate. They estimate in that one weekend, their members would have given over 100,000 hours of service to their area and their giving levels will be extremely high. I hope more churches begin to get involved and do what this church has decided to do.
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