Today, families of Christian background gather to exchange gifts, sing Christmas carols and have dinner. At sundown, Jewish families will gather to light the first candle on a special eight-branch menorah. People of all faiths, as well as the secular, will gather for a meal with family and friends.
Take a moment to reflect that during the course of the year, the “average” American family throws away 14% of its food.
Meanwhile 1 in 9 U.S. families are never sure they’ll have enough to eat.
And internationally, hunger statistics are far, far worse. One billion people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition.
Every day, about 24,000 people die from hunger or hunger-related causes. (And this is down from 35,000 a day, from ten years ago.)
So today, whether you regard the day as the birth of Christ, or the beginning of Hanukah or simply “ the holidays” and a time to get together with family and friends in a warm cozy setting, take a moment to remember those without a home, without food, or without a family.
If you wanted to test the charitable limits of humanity, you probably could not devise a greater challenge than the disasters of the last twelve months: Hurricanes, earthquakes, and the tsunami.
Consider donating to a charity with an international focus. Besides finding that your charitable buying power is greatly enhanced when your gift goes overseas, where so much more can be accomplished with much less cost, you will experience the joy of giving, and the true spirit of the season.
God bless and keep us all, every one.
Source for statistics: "Who Gives a $*&t?" on Mother Jones Web site.
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