Donations coming up short

I read the following story and wanted to share it. I find it interesting how we quit donating when it becomes inconvient for us, because of a car payment, expensive electronics, or other things that we say we need.


Groups that help needy feeling pinch this season
By Judy Keen, USA TODAY

Shortfalls in holiday donations of gifts, food, clothing and cash for the needy are dimming Christmas spirit at many non-profit groups.
"It is certainly the bleakest year we've ever had," says Mary Perez, founder of Christmas For Everyone, which for 22 years has provided gifts, clothes and holiday feasts to about 3,000 low-income, homeless and elderly people in Concord, Calif.
Toys for Kids in Utica, N.Y., hoped to collect 7,500 toys. So far it has about 2,300 and probably will miss its target for the first time in its 17 years, co-chairman Al Pulaski says.
He blames the economy. "Gas is $3 a gallon," he says. "Winter has set in, and people are concerned about their heating bills."
Charities across the country are experiencing the same problems, says Michael Nilsen of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. "The housing crisis and problems in the economy couldn't have hit at a worse time," he says.

A survey by the group found that 26% of charities are raising less money this holiday season than a year ago, Nilsen says, and 48% are raising more.

Some holiday drives say they're forced to be less generous this Christmas:

•Samaritan House, a social services agency in San Mateo, Calif., tries to give at least five gifts to each child from about 1,400 low-income families.
This year, with toy donations 40% short of the goal, "I'll be happy if I can give them one," Samaritan House program director Sharon Petersen says.

•Project Just Because in Hopkinton, Mass., has empty bins in its warehouse that should be overflowing with gifts and warm clothing, founder Cherylann Lambert Walsh says. Last year, 4,500 families signed up for help. This year, there are 5,000. "I could really use help," she says.

•Inter-Faith Ministries in Wichita ran out of food last week when it distributed boxes of canned items to 13,433 people — including 7,183 children, development director Karen Dobbin says. The goal for cash donations was $250,000; only about $185,000 has been collected. "There's just so much need," she says.

•The Salvation Army in Rapid City, S.D., is almost $80,000 short of its $220,000 goal, spokeswoman Ronda Kreber says. "Times are tough," she says. Ten gold coins were deposited in kettles at 10 different locations last Monday, she says, but it's unclear how much they're worth.

•Radio station WA1A in Melbourne, Fla., which has given gifts to local children since 1995, this year dipped into its cash reserve for the first time to buy toys, morning host Timmy Vee says. A record 2,500 children registered, 500 more than last year. "The housing thing just blew up, and now it's blowing us up," he says.

Some groups did meet their goals. "Things started off slow, and we were getting a little nervous," says Tracy Haggerty, chairwoman of the Jaycees Toybox drive in Cape Girardeau, Mo. The group reached its target, she says, and 24 Santas distributed toys to 1,360 children.

Walking the streets of Kabul

A little while ago I resigned from the best job I’ve had so far. In some ways it was a very difficult decision and in other ways it was very easy to make. The time I have spent overseas in the last two and half years have changed my life in so many ways. In the end I was being forced to do things that I felt were wrong. In one way it was a lot of fun to resign, I was taking a very strong stand for what I believed in and standing by my beliefs. Over the last year it has become clear to me how important it is to take action when we see something that is wrong. In resigning it brought to light what our true mission is to many people that otherwise were blisfully unaware of what was really going on here. Whether it will make a difference in the long run for the direction of the organziation I don’t know, but at least I know more people have been made aware of the situation here and will be forced to think about what they are supporting.

Now my wife and I are spending some time in Kabul house sitting for a missionary family that is on leave for the holidays. We really enjoy this country and the challenges that it brings with it. We’ve spent a lot of time just walking around the neighborhood and its made me realize a few things. First, it has shown me the damage and power that fear can have. All I hear in the news and even from the embassy here is how dangerous it is, to stay off the roads, reports on bombings, and reports to be cautious of kidnappings, muggings, and other crime. When that is all that we hear we assume everyone is out to get us, it puts fear in us. Living in fear is no way to live. Walking around town I’ve realized how nice the majority if people are. We went to a small shop near our house to buy some vegetables and another shopper there invited us to his home, when would that happen in the US? If we were in a store and saw someone of dressed in what has been labeled, “Taliban style,” how many of us would start a dialogue with this person let alone invite them to our home? Our neighbors wave to us from their window as we play with the rabbits in our yard. The other night I heard a knock at our door and when I looked through the peephole I couldn’t see anyone. I opened the door and there were two little boys probably 4 years old and 7 holding up a plate of nan with sugar coating. Nan is a wonderful bread like pastry that is very cheap and very tasty. I took the plate inside filled it with candy and gave it back to the boys, their eyes lit up and with quick shouts of, “tashakor,” Dari for thank you, they ran back to their house down the street. Another time just walking down the street an elderly lady wrapped in a shawl, walked by us and as she did she looked up and greeted us with a huge smile in a wrinkled filled face. In this land where according to the security reports everyone is out to get us, how could all these friendly people exist? It just proved to me how powerful the emotion and thought of fear can be. This city is more dangerous than your average city, but the vast majority of all attacks are against the police or international forces here. Very little happens against other foreigners that are living amoung the local population. I think a better security warning should be stay away from the international military convoys and treat your personal security like you would in any other major city.

In most insecure environments it’s the local population that suffer the most and it’s never been more evident to me. Here you have a population who is grateful in some ways for the security that international forces provide, yet at the same time these same foreigners come into a soverign state, act like mindless killing machines and exploit the development work here making millions of dollars that in no way benefits the local economy. They all get branded as possible dangerous Taliban members, and it is implied that no local can be trusted. This fear breeds nothing but hostility and mistrust, when in reality I trust a few of our local friends more because they are much more aware of the situation and can provide much more accurate information than any military analyst. I can see the struggle that many of the civilians face, all they really want is peace and security so that they can go about their lives, watching their children grow up, and hoping for a better brighter future. We all deserve that chance.

Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne

A few weeks ago I was going to post this and just forgot. I was having a bit or a moral dilemma so blogging went on the back burner.


Over the past few weeks many things have been on my mind. I just finished a great book written by Shane Claiborne called the Irresistible Revolution which my good friend Bruce J Yoder had suggested. I think it may portray the best description of what Christianity should look like. It doesn’t focus on fire and brimstone. It doesn’t talk about saving the masses by forcing the “good news” down their throat. It doesn’t focus on what we need to do to make bigger and better churches. It talks about following Jesus in a very real and literal sense. Following Jesus is one of the things I heard countless times growing up, but I had never heard it described the way it did in this book. Many times reading the book I felt ashamed for portraying Christianity the way I had. The biggest thing I realized while reading the book was that as Christians it is our duty, to stand against oppression, to fight injustice, and to love our neighbor. When the US started its war in Iraq, what did Christians do? What did I do? I did nothing. Sure I might have said I think violence is wrong or war is never justified. How does that actually make a difference? Did I voice my opinion loudly to the world, did I protest, did I write letters to our elected officials? Did I dare go to Iraq as the author puts it, as an “extremist for love?” That is exactly what the author did. He went to Iraq in March of 2003, he went to be with the people to stand in the way of terror and war.

“Thousands of soldiers have gone to Iraq, willing to kill people they do not know because of a political allegiance. I went willing to die for people I do not know because of a spiritual allegiance…..it’s is my hope that Christian peacemaking becomes the new face of global missions. May we stand by those who face the impending wrath of the empire and whisper, “God loves you, I love you, and if my country bombs your country, I will be right here with you.” As one of the saints said “If they come for the innocent and do not pass over our bodies, then cursed be our religion.”

As a Christian and a Mennonite I believe as much as we say we are anti-war and non-violent, when push comes to shove are we really? Did our church conference stand up and publicly state our opposition to the war? Did my church talk about how bad the war was? Did I really do anything? If our beliefs don’t translate into action in everyday life, our faith is dead. Sure we may not have voiced our support for the war, but we did what Mennonites tend to do, quietly sit back and discuss the problems of the world, but stay within our protective comfortable bubble. Once again I have to look at what Jesus did, was he known as soft-spoken guy who did what he can to keep people happy. Was he the guy that quietly discussed the problems facing society and then went about his work as a carpenter? Jesus didn’t go looking for trouble, but when you speak against the empire (whether it be Rome or my own country) trouble seems to find you. As Shane puts it, “ Jesus was put to death for living with the poor, for being friends with prostitutes, tax collectors, and zealots.”