I received a call from my son a few days ago and he suggested that I say something about the state of charitable organizations in my annual Holiday message. He is engaged in the energy conservation business. His biggest client is the State of Maine. His job is to audit the homes of people who are getting heating oil subsidies from the state, and make improvements to lower the costs.

The charities that help the same people he in contact with are stressed. They haven’t the funds to meet their needs. What’s worse is the fact that those people who would ordinarily be in a position to give, are stressed financially themselves. There appears to be a quiet desperation in many quarters. The charities are frustrated that they can hardly meet the increased demands that are created by these difficult economic times.
The givers are stressed with poor prospects of doing business. At the same time the recipients are more numerous, and in direr need.

Usually there are those of us that pony-up a few bucks. It’s usually not much, and it doesn’t hurt much either. These days that isn’t good enough. In the words of Father Keene, a priest I remember from my teenage years, “give today an amount of money that hurts”.That number is flexible depending on how much each of us is blessed, but we know what it is.

In this season of Chanukah, Christmas and New Year, we think in terms of hope, optimism and new beginnings. It is a time to see the world differently. If you think you are serving your family and your community well, it is probably true. It is also true that we all can do a little bit better. We at LIMBA, will try to do better ourselves.

Have a wonderful holiday season.

Ernie Fazio