Our Observation

Between trips to the grocery store for turkeys and trimmings and to the airport, bringing carloads of out-of-town family members to our homes and tables, it seems that many members of our community found more time than ever to give during this holiday season.

Our calendars have been packed with food drives, helping to make sure turkeys land on many Winter Park and Maitland tables. Donations and volunteer hours logged always pick up after Halloween and stay high until the New Year. But this year (and even several years past), we are finding that people are giving more all year long.

Charitable organizations across the board have reported record numbers of volunteers knocking on their doors. Second Harvest Food Bank reported a 20 percent increase in volunteer hours from 2008 to 2009. Volunteers at Harvest Time International nearly doubled from 2008 to 2009, and their 2010 numbers increased significantly even before the holiday season arrived, a time when they typically see more volunteers.

Much of this is due to the economy — less work equals more free time. Plus, some assistance programs require those who benefit from them to volunteer in their communities and more high schools and universities are requiring that students log a certain number of volunteer hours. But Pet Rescue by Judy founder Judy Sarullo said more volunteers have come her way because they said they knew the economy was leaving many more animals out in the cold.

The troubled economy has touched every walk of life, yet more and more people, even those who are down on their luck, are reaching out to their fellow man.

And, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture’s report “Food Security in the United States 2009”, released last week, their help is much needed. More than 17 million households in America were food insecure, meaning they did not have consistent access to healthy meals, the report said. What’s worse is that the most vulnerable of our population seems to have been hit the hardest, with more than 75 percent of food stamp participants being families with children.

These figures are only slightly higher than they were in 2008 despite an increase in unemployment, leading USDA to believe the safety net helping the hungry is working. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of participants in government assistance programs such as Food Stamps; more people are entering other kinds of assistance programs and being helped by folks in their communities.

So even after Thanksgiving is over, and we awake from our food comas brought on by too many spoonfuls of gravy-soaked mashed potatoes and rich apple pie, let’s keep this momentum going and keep giving.