These good Samaritans might inspire your generosity
Now that Thanksgiving is over, we can officially kick off the Christmas season. Over the next month, you'll hear stories about generosity and kindness. People come together at
Christmas to help others, whether it's donating toys and food to the less fortunate or provid- ing companionship to those who are alone. People go out of their way to be helpful and cheerful.
In years past I've thought to myself: Wouldn't it be nice if such goodwill existed all year long?
The reality is, it does. There's plenty of it out there that goes unnoticed. I made a point this year to watch for it, and I was happy to find it.
During the nasty snowstorm this month, Moravian College students teamed up to help at least six motorists stuck in the snow near campus. They pushed cars up a hill to get them going.
Others stepped up to help a man in New Tripoli whose car got stuck in a snowdrift in January. A UPS truck driver offered the man his phone so he could call home and get a ride. Then a PennDOT plow driver helped shovel out the car.
When 65 beagles were removed from what authorities described as deplorable conditions at an Upper Saucon Township home in October, the Lehigh County Humane Society had its hands full. But it got a lot of help.
Within a few days, animal lovers donated thousands of pounds of dog food, bedding and other supplies, and more than $9,700 in cash. Then others stepped up. Within a few weeks, all of the dogs had been adopted.
A grocery shopper bailed out a Bethlehem woman who unexpectedly found herself in a bind in the checkout line. She had intended to pay with a check and didn't know the store doesn't accept checks. She didn't have enough cash to cover the cost. The woman behind her did and she paid the tab.
Parents in the East Penn School District helped parents in Bethlehem pay off their student meal debt. The effort started when an East Penn mother learned her 6-year-old daughter was buying a classmate milk because he didn't have enough money in his account. That spurred the mom to take the issue on a bigger scale by forming a nonprofit to raise money.
Many good Samaritans don't want credit for what they do. They don't want others to even know they did it. But the people on the receiving end are grateful.
The only reason I know about some of these stories is because recipients were so touched that they wrote letters to the editor. Spreading the word is important. It may inspire others to be generous.
A Bethlehem woman wrote to thank the man who paid for her lunch at a local Subway. Not because she had lost her wallet or was short on cash, but because he wanted to pay for it. Subway workers told her the man often bought food for customers.
“When I thanked him it was obvious that he did not want me to know that he was the one who paid for my lunch,” she wrote in her letter to the editor. “Unfortunately, too often we hear only about the bad news concerning people, but this man's kindness and generosity made my day. It was a very heartwarming experience.”
Being generous and kind doesn't have to mean helping people financially. Not all of us are in a position to do that.
But we can offer our jumper cables to someone whose car won't start. We can hold the door at work or at a store for someone whose hands are full of packages or kids. We can let the guy with one or two items cut in line at checkout so they don't have to wait while our overflowing cart is rung up. We can shovel the sidewalk of an elderly neighbor.
Donating blood doesn't cost you anything but about an hour of your time. And that can save someone's life. You can't be any more generous than that.
As the holiday season kicks into gear, you'll likely be inundated with requests to help others. A lot of you will find it in your heart to answer the call. That's great. What would be even greater would be to keep that spirit alive all year.