The holiday season is here in Colorado Springs and we are seeing the annual blizzard of charitable fund-raising efforts. Just as the retail businesses do, many charities raise much of their annual budget during the five or six weeks of the season. I don't think so. The Gazette runs a daily Empty Stocking appeal story of some individual or family being assisted by one or more of our social service agencies.
Charitable appeals arrive almost daily in the mail.
As a 20-plus year volunteer at the Marion House Soup Kitchen, I encounter some of those young people who choose to be involved with poor people. I am also very aware that the backbone of the soup kitchen volunteer staff are retired people. I've had disturbing conversations with young adults, similar to those Ms. McDonnell relates, that reveal serious isolation from those in need. Perhaps more disturbing, however, are my conversations with fellow Boomers closer to my own age that show a real disconnect with the reality of poverty in our community. There are several structured programs to get people involved at varying levels on the front lines.