Charity costs as little as a cup of coffee

I wrote this blog some time ago but as I read my archive of blogs this is one of the few that are still very relevant in my life today as it was when I wrote it. I wrote it during the weekend of Red Shield appeal 2012. At this point of my life I can only think of one brief stage in my youth where I have turned to food parcels to stop my utilities from being disconnected yet 25 years later things have done an about turn and I'm volunteering and giving to charity rather than taking from it....


  This weekend is the Red Shield Appeal. The major fund raiser for the Salvation Army in Australia. The "Salvo's" are the church you forget. What do I mean by that? well although they have a large church backing they are mainly known for their charity, emergency relief and rehabilitation services not religion.

I give to the Salvo's each year because you never know what could happen and if your circumstances will change. Think about it, 2 years ago when Victoria burnt could have anybody predicted it, NO but because of the donations and kindness of those who donate to non-profit organisations people living in that area are now slowly rebuilding their lives. So when the local scouts came knocking in our area I was ready which my little donation and while it wasn't much it will provide somebody with a meal next week and all I'm going to miss out on is a cup of coffee for my small effort.

Before moving on I want to acknowledge our local scout group and their leaders. The team of leaders for the 1st and 2nd scout groups of Fullarton should feel proud of  their standing in the community. Together they represent their local community in a stellar fashion, every year the troop are present at Dawn Service at the local War Veterans Homes and unlike the military cadets they aren't there for honour or pride (not the only reasons I thought of )  but to represent community and to see them today in the miserable rain collecting for the Salvo's makes me want to herald them for their good work. Well done to all the scouts in our area.

Charity is the one area some would says why do you give so much when you are such a limited budget and the answer is simple I have the resources and the donation does not have to be big. I don't spend money on concert tickets, cars or overseas travel and don't have a hoard of children to feed so have my chosen charities that are important to me and my philosophy is if I can't give money I'll give my time instead.

Nothing gives me more joy than my sponsored child in Brazil. For $1.35 per day I offer her and the community she lives in the opportunity to provide for themselves a healthier community while seeing her grow up through photographs and letters and while the child sponsorship people quote child sponsorship costing "less than a cup of coffee" the reality is these days that cup of coffee which you could downsize or "coffeepool" in the office could actually sponsor two kids in poverty. Thalissa will turn 10 this July and as I sent her birthday card away today I was thinking about the birthday party I had when I was that age a Halloween themed sleepover with all the girls from my class. Gifts from each guest and a table groaning with party food and home baked iced cake which I don't imagine is something her parents could achieve so if my little contributions, cards and pictures from Australia brighten her day then my job is done.

Back to current time, while I still sponsor a child through Childfund the child I sponsored has changed as her family circumstance changed but my support to a new child in Timor will continue as lets face it while charity begins at home I have lived a privileged life in comparision to those in the developing world.