Valley support has been tremendous

Around Christmas, the spirit of giving is higher than ever. People in need can use a helping hand, and the holidays bring that out in people.

When December turns into January and February, though, some of that help and support dries up.

It shouldn't, quite simply, because the need never dries up.

It's great to see the people in the Valley turn out and help one another in such large numbers, but we have to keep that going through the rest of the year.

During the holiday season, there are a number of heartwarming stories of goodwill, generosity and helpfulness people display.

For every program that is publicized and talked about, there are three more that are just as important you may not have ever heard of.

Locally, the Toys for Tots program is a remarkable success, with several thousand toys being collected for Valley children who would not otherwise be getting toys this Christmas.

People think nothing of buying a toy and donating it to help a child in need, and that's great.

The Secret Santa program is alive and well, with 400 families being given Christmas gifts thanks to the generosity of average people around the Valley, who ask for nothing in return. The program is a wonderful success each year.

The Frontiersman's "Hope's Helping Hands" program has already united a family with someone who was willing to pay for costs to repair an elevator so that a child with muscular dystrophy can get around his house. Only in its first year, the program is already working.

Food banks are filled with goods, as Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets are prepared so families can enjoy a hot, home-cooked meal for the holidays. The food is donated by the community, and the outpouring of support has been tremendous.

The Christmas Friendship Dinner at the Wasilla Senior Center allows people to get Christmas dinner for free. That's right, free. And organizers simply will not accept donations, because it is a Christmas program which is done from the goodness of their hearts.

Churches around the Valley put together special programs for people around the holidays. Food baskets, gifts and other amenities are given out in large numbers, keeping Christmas a bright and jolly time for people who may not otherwise see it that way.

The point is simple - the Valley's communities are more than willing to help each other out and make the holidays special.

But we can't stop there. Two months does not a year make.

To help people remember, the Salvation Army has adopted a new slogan - "Need knows no season."

It is a slogan that people should keep in mind long after Santa Claus parks his sleigh in the garage for another year and the elves vacation in Hawaii after a busy few months making toys.

Around the holidays, the need is amplified somewhat, but it doesn't go away just because December turns into January turns into February and so on.

In the middle of June, when the kings are running and thoughts of Christmas are totally nonexistent, the hunger in a starving child's stomach is just as great as when you are Christmas shopping in mid-December.

To that child, it doesn't matter what the calendar says. It only matters what is on his plate at night.

Need really doesn't know any seasons.

Some people's needs are self made, and that may turn people off to helping them out, understandably. But others are victims of circumstances, circumstances which can't be controlled or changed.

An unexpected layoff right before the holiday season - it happens, just ask employees of Reeve Aleutian Air - can send a family reeling, and you see it in the news all the time.

That same layoff is just as likely to happen in the middle of March, but it may not seem so significant to others.

If the community can carry over even half of the Christmas giving spirit into the rest of the year, the Valley will be a better place.

It may be asking a lot, but as we've seen during November and December, the community is up to the challenge.

Casey Ressler (ressler@alaska.net) is the Frontiersman Valley Life editor.