Every year, my newspaper does this kind of thing - social service agencies refer people who have fallen on hard times and meet criteria for this program - and there was one person who to me was questionable. He needs about $1,000 in dental work that he cannot pay for, and he isn’t insured either, and he has had considerable difficulty in finding a job.
I also noticed that he has a lip ring right in the place where he needs the work done. Removing it might reduce the risk of further damage, and also might make it easier for him to find a job (although nowadays, it seems that this kind of thing is required, at least for customer service work).
You could be right. But, honestly, how many other poor people have made choices that probably contribute to why they are poor?
For example:
Having children early and often
Using drugs and alcohol
Spending money on non-essentials like cigarettes and tattoos
Dropping out of school (or getting a degree in something that seemed cool but offers no job prospects)
I know someone who would complain about having no money and being unable to find a job, but upon closer examination you found out this person felt that working a menial job like fast food work was “beneath” him. Meanwhile, I know other people who have started out in those menial fast food jobs because they were willing to work hard at whatever they could get, and they have since worked their way up from there to better things.
However…if the idea of these holiday giving things is to be charitable, then I would say that judging people for their bad decisions is really not in the right spirit of things, even if it is clear that they are in some way responsible for their situation. All that judging accomplishes is making the people out there who have integrity feel embarrassed about asking for help that they deserve, while the shameless people still won’t care.
And there may be a lot more to the story that wasn’t published.
I know one of the people profiled. I volunteer at a library, and this man sometimes comes in with his sister (both are mentally disabled - autism and mild mental retardation) and they live with their widowed grandmother. Their biological parents are disabled too. He mostly needs a new bed, but could use clothes and other items as well. Just for that, I’m going to send the program some money. All of them are avid readers and love going to the library. We enjoy having them there, too.
Every year, there’s one story that ends up being everyone’s favorite. Haven’t figured out which one it will be this year, but in the past they had a middle-aged man with Down Syndrome who wanted to go to a dude ranch for people with disabilities. He did have family, but they couldn’t afford to send him. Yep, he got his trip, all expenses paid, and probably got a whole new wardrobe, etc. as well. Another time, it was a woman in her 70s who was taking advantage of a program at a local college where people 65 and over could take classes for credit, tuition-free, if there was space in them. You did have to buy your books and pay other fees, but this is a college that now costs about $30,000 a year for tuition alone. She was getting a master’s degree just because she could, and needed a new computer. She, too was disabled; she had severe arthritis and used a wheelchair but made it to class anyway.
I love contributing to The NY Times Neediest cases every year. Sometimes I swear some of the people they feature are probably better off than I am and do a bit of eye-rolling at their situation, but mostly I’m just grateful that I am in the camp that can afford to write a check.
