Sharing is Caring

Tis the season for giving.  But why do we only have one season for it?  Shouldn't it be a year-long concern?  Holidays are the one time a year when people are in the giving spirit.  Sure it's ok to only give presents to your friends and family once every 365 days, but what about the needy?  They need help all year, not just once while they are on many people's minds.

The Salvation Army bell ringers are only out during Christmas ringing their bells and giving warm wishings of well-being.  This is the only time of year that most of us even remember them.
One type of heart-wrenching commercial that does try to reach out and help those in need is one that everyone is familiar with: the cute little old man holding the starved African child.  He walks you through their village showing all the poor children without clothes or food.  Then, he looks directly into the camera, directly into your soul and says something like "10 cents can feed this child for a week."  That's when you start adding up in your head just how many weeks a child could have been fed if you hadn't bought that shirt the other day....  If moments like this can't get us to give then what can?
When I was younger, I participated in a fundraising program for starving children in Africa called 30 Hour Famine.  In return for the money I raised, I went 30 hours straight without food (which included no sleep since I was with my friends).  It made an impact on my life then, but I don't even think about it now.  We need to stop putting ourselves first and help out those who really have no opportunities.  It should be our duty to help, and not just during Christmas.