Viewpoints
Charity knows no boundaries
Steve Boggs, Democrat Publisher
Halloween is history and the holiday season is here.
You’re going to hear a lot about the economy and the holiday shopping season over the next few weeks, as Americans decide for themselves if the recession is really over or not. In spite of the economic rhetoric flowing from places like Washington, New York, Los Angeles and Austin, there’s one thing we’re sure about this holiday season: The need for help is at the highest level it’s been in years.
We’ve already heard from several local charities who are pushing the envelope to meet demand. Not only have the economic times cut into the public’s ability to give, they have also increased demand for services. Now, more than ever, we need to step up and help.
If you’re not sure how to donate, the United Way is a good place to start. United Way of Parker County serves more than a dozen local charitable efforts, including many we’re familiar with on a day-to-day basis. Above and beyond a United Way donation, we’re going to see a lot of fundraisers and food drives this holiday season. Public pantries are running dangerously low and need to be stocked in advance of the holidays.
Right now there is a food drive under way to benefit the Center of Hope and the Senior Center. The Weatherford Democrat is one of the drop-off places for this effort. Manna House is also in need of food for its pantry.
As the local economy begins to improve, the ability to meet the charitable need will improve long before the demand for services decreases. The job market remains soft and will for quite some time as we emerge from this meltdown. The key time period is the upcoming holiday season. More people need help, and there are less people able to help them. Normally, that’s a formula for hard times, but in our community it’s a challenge that can be met.
If you would like to help, but don’t know how, we invite you to contact us here at The Weatherford Democrat. We’ll put you in touch with a reputable group and make sure every opportunity you present is put to good use.
With everyone’s help, we can weather this storm and come to the aid of those less fortunate than ourselves. One thing this economic meltdown has taught us all is that hard times can hit anyone at any time.
- Viewpoints
-
-
The Oscars remain a guilty pleasure
Did you watch the Academy Awards Sunday night? I did. I do every year. It’s my guilty pleasure in life, watching the rich and famous parade in front of the world and thank everyone from the Academy to their parents to their agents for “all you do,” whatever that may be.
-
Poll: Lottery proceeds would go to retirement
It’s an intriguing thought.
If you had millions of dollars fall in your lap, how would you spend it. -
Texas traffic and the angry emu
As a driver in Texas, I have become pretty jaded.
There’s not a lot we don’t see.
Rolling west on Interstate 20 across the flatlands to a bumper-to-bumper 200-mile jaunt south on I-35, drivers in our state are apt to see anything. -
County steps up for its own in UW campaign
It’s an old saying Texans, long known for their spirit of independence, are especially fond of.
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
And did they ever. -
The age of majority
Are you one of those rare and unique individuals who never did anything really stupid or embarrassing when you were a teenager? No? Yeah right, I didn’t either.
-
Keep your laws off my body
“It’s a free country.”
That’s a popular saying — and true in many ways. But for a free country, America does ban a lot of things that are perfectly peaceful and consensual. Why is that? - It Takes a Village Idiot
-
Gun safety instructors needed
When looking for training or certification classes, there are situations you obviously would hope to avoid.
You would hope if you ever had to go to a marriage counselor, the instructor would not be Mickey Rooney or Lisa Marie Presley. -
Law and order in Parker County
One of the favorite pastimes for young boys during the time I grew up in the 40s and 50s was to play pretend games with cap guns, pop guns or even BB guns. Thusly armed, we played cowboys and Indians, cops and robbers or soldiers in combat.
-
Whose body is it?
People suffer and die because the government “protects” us. It should protect us less and respect our liberty more.
The most basic questions are: Who owns you, and who should control what you put into your body? In what sense are you free if you can’t decide what medicines you will take? - More Viewpoints Headlines
-
The Oscars remain a guilty pleasure
