Editorial: Give and understand during the holidays

We hear it time and time again: Food banks, clothing banks and other local charities appreciate the increased donations they receive during the holiday season but they need that generosity to shine through during every month of the year.

That need is especially apparent in 2009 as the nation, state and county continue to recover from a recession that has claimed jobs, home mortgages and personal livelihoods.

The people who utilize the Edgewood Community Food Bank, Helping Hand House and Freezing Nights program aren’t looking for a one-day handout. They need constant care and attention to make it through each day. The scary part is, many are victims of the recession and they represent what each of us could become — unemployed with no place to sleep but a soft patch of grass.

Former Puyallup City Councilmember George Dill, who passed away on Nov. 18, was a prime example, spending several hours a week working with the Puyallup Valley Food Bank. In late October, area Weight Watchers branches donated more than 2,000 pounds of food two a pair of local charities. Area high schools such as Emerald Ridge have student clubs dedicated to charitable causes for nine months of the year.

As December begins, putting holiday food drives, coat drives and other fundraising events into high gear, we encourage readers to get involved in any way they can.

But in the process of donating time or money, we also hope more people take the time to chat with the ones running the charities. Better yet, talk to the folks who benefit from them. There’s no better way of understanding the true plight that a growing segment of our society faces.

That increased understanding will be the only way local charities see generosity shine through 365 days a year.