’Tis the season to do good

At the most basic level, we are pre-programmed to do good. Whether you call it a conscious or something else, it feels good to share, to help someone, to do the right thing. In the same vein, feelings like guilt seem to indicate we are designed to shun wrongdoing.

Beyond capitalistic considerations such as Black Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Shop Local Saturday and Cyber Monday, this time of year is an unparalleled season of giving. At Christmas, folks seem to smile more, to greet each other with warm wishes like “merry Christmas” or “happy Hanukkah.” We look for places to volunteer. We plan to donate cash, food or new unwrapped gifts to such annual community Christmas efforts as Special Santa Mat-Su, Santa Cop and Heroes or the Christmas Friendship Dinner.

We don’t ask whether the folks we’re helping believe in these Christian traditions. We are blind to their politics; we just want to give, to help.

The three nonprofits we mentioned are working together this year to help amplify the good they can do for their neighbors in the Mat-Su. But there are lots of ways to be part of the caring and sharing this year.

It’s not our place to say who or how anyone helps, but we would like to highlight one local group that can take some of the legwork out of the decision about which organization to support with your limited resources. See, while we love Special Santa, adore Santa Cop and would never dream of missing Christmas Friendship Dinner, there is one way people can give that will boost all of these groups, plus a bevy of other Valley nonprofits.

We recommend supporting the United Way as a one-stop shop for charitable giving. United Way of Mat-Su celebrated its 25th year of being a good neighbor in the Mat-Su this year.

Want to volunteer? United Way has a list of folks who need volunteers.

Need helping paying your utilities? Buying food? Paying for heat? Call United Way’s 211 hotline and they will direct you to local resources that can help you stay in your home and avoid the more costly and complicated problems that come with homelessness.

Cheri LeBlanc-Shue is the resource development director for United Way of Mat-Su. She said the way it works, people can give a gift and designate it for any 501(c)3 and the United Way will pass it on to the designated nonprofit.

“That makes it really easy for folks,” she said.

LeBlanc-Shue said part of the work United Way does year-round is to identify needs in the community and ways to help.

There’s something special that happens during the holiday season, she said. “This time of year just brings out the kindness in people.”

Giving to help others at the holidays feels good. It’s the right thing to do, but it’s not enough.

People like LeBlanc-Shue who work on the frontlines with Valley families struggling to afford the cost of housing, food and transportation say systemic change is needed. Where Valley families paid about a quarter of their incomes for rent in the recent past, now rent is more than half of most household incomes, she said.

Though we support giving, especially at this time of year, we also would welcome a thoughtful, solutions-based community conversation about the wide-reaching social impacts unaffordable rents have on homelessness in the Mat-Su.

Would that no one was homeless or needed help with food or Christmas gifts for their children in our Valley year-round.