Our generous nation helps in crises

Working at the Albuquerque Community Foundation, we see acts of generosity every day. We see volunteers giving their time and talent to worthy causes. We see donors sharing their good fortune. But at no other time do we see more generosity of time, talent and money than in the face of catastrophes like Hurricane Harvey.

I’m thinking of the kindergartners who are collecting stuffed animals to send to children who have lost everything in the flooding. Of high school students collecting canned goods and other nonperishables to replenish food banks that have been feeding the tens of thousands of people without homes. And of a bakery in Albuquerque whose initial donation of hundreds of loaves of bread morphed into six tractor-trailers full of food, water and other supplies headed for the victims of Harvey.

In 2015, the Philanthropy Roundtable found that Americans are three to 15 times as charitable as the residents of other developed nations. In fact, on a per capital basis, Americans’ charitable giving has soared by 3.5 times in the last 60 years. And Americans volunteer more than almost any other wealthy people. According to the CAF World Giving Index, last year the United States ranked No. 5 in the world among nations who give to charitable causes. Some 56 percent of us give regularly; almost three quarters of us say we’ve helped a stranger — 73 percent, more than half donate money — 56 percent, and 41 percent volunteer their time.

So be proud of our tradition of helping others, where everyone jumps in for the common good of a struggling community, especially at times of crisis. No doubt in the weeks and months to come, we’ll hear of more individuals, companies and institutions contributing to the rebuilding efforts in Texas, as well as other areas of the country that have and will be suffering from the next catastrophe. I’m looking at you, Hurricane Irma.

Your generosity makes a difference, Albuquerque. Keep it up.