One of the things Holly and I do here in the DC Metro is run a small food charity. We accept clothing from well-heeled households and get it to shelters where young and abused and otherwise needful women need good clothing to wear to jobs and interviews. Usually once a year we run a modest food drive as well, and deliver that to the pantries and kitchens most in need.
Moving to Idaho will change this a bit.
Firstly, I think we are going to be a rather affluent community. I don't necessarily mean everyone is flush with cash, but I know everyone will be fed, warm, under roof, have productive work to do, people upon whom to lean if and when needed.
I'm not sure about the rest of Idaho, but I do not suspect there is a SouthEast DC anywhere in the state.
As a community, what can we become known for doing to help those who could use a bit of help without imposing on any one's dignity? Should we even try as a community, or simply let our individuals do as they wish?
Here in the DC area we can hit a 2 block area in Potomac and fill a moving truck with clothing that has never had the tags removed from Saks, and enough food to feed3 city blocks in another part of town - and we know this to be fact. But as there is probably no SouthEast DC in Idaho, I doubt there is a Potomac.
There is no shame in becoming a community of plenty.
How might we best remind our Countrymen that charity is not a function of Government, but of Community?
Kerodin
III
There is still a need in the area. I would suspect that as government money dries up and less and less services are offered there will be legetimate poor who could use a hand up. As we see a need, we should fill it. Say someone's house burns down. We all come together and rebuild, furnish, & feed them. Sure it won't be the Taj Mahal, nor will the furniture or clothes be new. But it would be a start. If we just do it, without fanfare, the surrounding people will come to know we practice what we preach.
ReplyDeleteMiss Violet
And that's why I love III to III. Miss V is right, where there are humans, there will be need. I have always wanted to run a summer camp for kids in need of a break from the harshness of reality. Camp for kids of soldiers, kids from the city, kids with disabilities. Can you tell I like kids? Kids who climb on rocks....
DeleteWhat about teaching people to be self sufficient instead of relying on handouts, government or otherwise. Offer free classes on balancing a budget, growing your own food, etc. offer to teach people a skill that they can use. I think teaching people that they can take care of themselves will help them out immensely when the gov checks stop flowing.
ReplyDeleteTeach people to be confident, teach them to use their brains.
I think someone mentioned before classes/readings of our Founding documents - I wonder if anyone from outside the walls would show?
DeleteK
If we build and operate several large commercial greenhouses and a cannery, we could offer to let people work, learning the skills of raising food and preparing food or storage, for a certain amount of food and/or money.
DeleteAnd as for the classes, sometimes you can negotiate with local community colleges for class credit. How wild would it be to counter the college's liberal history teachings with a III Patriot history class?
"What about teaching people to be self sufficient instead of relying on handouts, government or otherwise."
DeleteOh, darn. I was just learning about "shared responsibility," and I got these overdue bills.
"...teach them to use their brains."
Seditious writing. Is the prosecutor on this?
I figure, take some good wherever it is. The Republicans may instill fear, but the Democrats are time for comedy.
We have found in our small community that the willingness to help with work (raw labor) with our neighbors goes a long way to building good will. Not to mention sharing what we have made (food and such) with others brings the community together.
ReplyDeleteNo need to convince anybody if the kindness shown with III to III is any kind of an indication.
ReplyDeleteHow might we best remind our Countrymen that charity is not a function of Government, but of Community?
ReplyDeleteThe transfer of dependence to the government from church and personal charity is what we are fighting. How do we remind our Countrymen is not the question. We must reverse this trend with the help of patriots and the church. This fight would be much easier if the churches were more concerned with the word of God instead of their 501(C)3 status.
As our forefathers understood, we cannot achieve this goal without public virtue. We regained public virtue in the year between 1775 and 1776. Asking this question is the beginning of the solution. Understanding the concept of public virtue is the answer.