We Only Give During the Christmas Season!
By Genipher
@Genipher (5405)
United States
December 10, 2018 2:04pm CST
I was reading a post that @Deepizzaguy wrote about an anonymous person who paid for a bunch of layaway stuff at a Walmart store and I got to wondering, why is it that people generally perform these acts of kindness during the winter holidays?
People have needs - real needs, not just wants - year-round. And I'm sure there are times throughout the year that random, anonymous people help others. But it's not the norm. Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa comes around and all of a sudden folks get in the "giving" mood.
Every year I see the Giving Trees in our local mall. Slips of paper ornaments with ages, genders, and needs/wants hanging on branches for anonymous strangers to pluck, buy the requested items, and wrap in a shiny package.
Why can't we have that tree out all year so that when, for example, Mr. Z's vacuum breaks and he can't buy another, he can request some kind soul help him out. It doesn't even have to be brand new. Instead of dropping off your old working vacuum at Goodwill, you can give it to someone in genuine need! And so on and so forth.
My thoughts, yesterday, kept flitting to the idea of creating a place like this.
A place where a person could come in and fill out a "Need Slip" and then that (anonymous) need would be posted for the public and, hopefully, someone would be able to provide it.
A place where items could safely be dropped off and picked up. All anonymous, of course.
But...no matter how I wrestled the idea in my mind I couldn't figure out how to deal with the upkeep costs of renting a building or a room in our local mall as "headquarters" and storage for all the items that would be donated. I wouldn't want to profit off helping others but I would want the rent and utilities, etc. paid for.
I'm wondering, is there a place like this already? Is it a silly idea? Would people take advantage just to get free stuff that they don't really need...could it actually help those in need? What do you think?
7 people like this
8 responses
@lookatdesktop (27134)
• Dallas, Texas
10 Dec 18
You might want to consider Next Door. It is an online community for local residents to stay connected and help each other with updates and planned events even give a neighbor an old appliance that the other neighbor doesn't need. I do not know if your city or state has this but you can check it out and take a look at this link.
https://help.nextdoor.com/s/article/How-to-join-Nextdoor?language=en_US
1 person likes this
@BearArtistLady (6036)
• United States
11 Dec 18
Salvation Army would give away a lot of the stuff donated to their thrift stores. They weren't as involved with helping people acquire skills that make them able to obtain jobs like Goodwill...that kind of work takes money and they do pay wages to the people in their programs. I'm in total agreement with Goodwill's program but some of the people get full of themselves and price some of the merchandise out of sight. I shop there for clothing and other things to replace what I've lost and often times things are priced close to new prices.
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
11 Dec 18
There are always those that will take advantage of help programs. But that shouldn't stop a good program that works.
@BearArtistLady (6036)
• United States
11 Dec 18
Uhhh, the wonderful thing about your idea is that the upkeep costs of a room or building could be the landlord's gift to the cause. It's time that the wealthy people did help a bit more.
I am wondering about a place like that. I lost my home to fire last year and even though the neighbors chipped in with clothing, toiletries and other necessities including a place to live. I feel so close to all my neighbors because of the giving that they did. I am looking at all the stuff I need to get to set up my home again when the people that caused my home to burn down settle with me...the amount is enormous! It's like starting off when you were young. After the fire was put out the next morning there was nothing left that was usable. All I had was my purse and the clothes on my back. I could have used a place like that just for a few clothes. Right now I live in blue jeans and tee shirts.
The other thing about your place would be that there would need to be a couple care takers to make sure that the place wasn't made a shambles and that people who could afford to replace their vacuum didn't come in and take advantage of the free items. Unfortunately people would race in to take advantage of the "free" items and not give a hoot about the people truly in need. It's a sad state of affairs but it's reality.
