A volunteer working at the 150 year celebration at the Jupiter Light House
This month brings with it a grace note from harried schedules. We celebrate with our friends and families and reflect as a nation on the bountifulness of a remembered thanksgiving. The tradition invokes an American pictograph, embroidered with the likes of pilgrims and Native Americans, feasting on roasted squash, boiled corn, and, of course, the prerequisite slices of roasted wild turkey, the turkey tough as an old shoe, and antecedent to the Butterball, which a colonial farmer might have regarded as a bird from another planet.
Were our pioneer remembrance in old Florida, the settlers’ repast might have been served up under a great live oak on a makeshift table groaning under the weight of a skillet full of squirrels and gravy, ambrosia made from sweet oranges, winter collards spiked with smoked ham, great squares of crusty corn bread and, yes, the obligatory roasted wild turkey, which was surely just as tough as its northern kinfolk. This rustic menu in scrub country was likely punctuated by a cloud of mosquitoes and an onslaught of no-see-ums. Nonetheless, whatever the shortcomings of those early gatherings, they were seldom sufficient to derail the spirit of the day. Those who gathered were often mindful they were fortunate to be feasting at all.
Nowadays, the menu for Thanksgiving reflects the rich cultural diversity of our communities, the theme of thankfulness sufficient to raise our hearts and spirits in gratitude for the measure of abundance we can count within our own lives. But for thousands of families, this is going to be a tougher year than most years to be counting blessings.
Just ask the volunteers serving in any one of the many churches or nonprofit organizations mobilized to combat hunger amidst a rising tide of area families in need of emergency assistance. This volunteerism is what Rotary describes as “service above self”, and is manifested in the work of hundreds of nonprofit organizations and volunteers from throughout our region.
Volunteerism and charitable giving is a critical measure of our community’s social capital. We actually have a tool to assess the relative strength of volunteerism and philanthropy and its contributions toward building social capital in our communities. It is called the “generosity index” by those who study such things. You might be surprised to learn Mississippi ranks high in generosity on the “generosity index”, despite the public’s perception the state otherwise ranks consistently low on just about every measure of social and economic progress known to man. In fact, Mississippi has the highest rate of per capita charitable giving in the United States. Who knew? It turns out folk of poor or modest means generally give a larger proportion of their individual income; and, as individuals, give far more frequently, at least in Mississippi. It’s a community tithe collective made and expressive of religious faith and the practice of charity creating, quite literally, a commonwealth. Mississippi’s stand out accomplishment on the “generosity index” also suggests philanthropy is a province whose citizenship only requires you give based on the unique measure of your own abundance. So if philanthropy were about writing a check that your heart can cash, how would you measure up on the “generosity index”?
There is no better time to be asking the question: nonprofit organizations are reporting record numbers of homeless individuals and families and children are being carried along with the tow. Nearly 1700 children in Palm Beach County School District are reported as being homeless and those are the ones we know about it.
The Community Foundation has given priority to leading and supporting efforts that address issues of food security and homelessness. Such issues are seriously on the rise. A charity at the center of this maelstrom recently told us that in the last three months, 400 families have sought help from the agency for emergency assistance for food and shelter. Last year, it was 40 families. So as you sit down with family and friends to celebrate all you have to be thankful for, remember the silent, invisible guests at your table and all those empty plates. Your contributions to the charitable organizations seeking to meet these needs deserve your support.
