Need at home: With so many calling for help, we sometimes forget our own

A day does not seem to go by when someone, somewhere is not asking for something.

There are pictures of families devastated by floods here at home, while there are people halfway around the world who do not have decent homes or enough food to eat.

There is always a charity somewhere asking for help from those who might be watching the TV commercial or reading about the plight of some community in a far corner of the globe.

That has been especially true during the last couple of years, when Americans were asked to reach into their pockets to help victims of Hurricane Katrina and to remember starving children around the world.

But as we answer these calls for charity, sometimes we forget that there are families here at home who need our attention and our help.

Families struggle here every day. Single parents worry about feeding their children and keeping a decent roof over their heads.

There are plenty of elderly Wayne County residents who struggle to come up with the money to pay the bills for their prescription drugs and others who do not turn on their heat or air-conditioning because they are not sure they can afford the bill.

There are plenty of young families struggling to raise children who are prepared for school, while making sure they can find the health care they need, and can afford.

And then there are the women in this community who are struggling to start again after escaping an abusive relationship.

Wayne County residents have always been known for their generosity. All you have to do is look back to the more than $150,000 raised for the victims of Hurricane Katrina or the more than $630,000 that will help fund cancer research this year. All that came from the pocketbooks and hearts of this county’s residents.

And as we make plans for helping others this year, we need to remember that charity really does begin at home.

There are many worthwhile causes right here in Wayne County that could use a donation — large or small, one-time or on a recurring basis — to continue some pretty important work that improves lives of our neighbors right here at home.

We need to remember them when it comes time to give.

Published in Editorials on July 28, 2006 11:41 AM