Reply #40: But how many just write a check to United Way?

[Baby Snooks]

How many just write a check to United Way and believe that helps? It doesn't. The sad reality is the only real help people have in this country is faith-based despite so many objecting to faith-based organizations receiving federal money. At least they use it to help the poor. No one else does. But these organizations, most of them churches or coalitions of churches, also depend on donations. The government isn't as generous as you believe it is. Not where the poor are concerned. Or programs that help the poor. Not programs that are really trying to help the poor. And keep them from becoming homeless.

They have to buy the food for the food pantry from the food bank which of course is usually funded by United Way. So why are the food banks selling the food? Because it allows more income and therefore higher salaries for the executive directors.

How about some reality in this country about how we "help" each other? In reality, we don't. We pay for salaries at non-profit agencies for people who tell other people there is no money to help them with. "Try another agency." Despite scandal after scandal, people continue to fund United Way. And feel very good about it. There is nothing to feel good about. You are funding a for-profit business that funds other for-profit businesses. Despite their being tax-exempt.

Communities need to finally address the problem. But in a growing number of communities the call is not for helping the homeless but merely moving them somewhere else. "Out of sight, out of mind."

Our priority in this country should be addressing the problem of the homeless and the poverty that takes the homes away to begin with.

That will not be solved by writing a check to United Way or buying a sack of groceries in the grocery store and dropping it in the bin so a food pantry can then buy it from a food bank.

Enough already with the food banks. There are food pantries running low on food because they cannot afford to buy additional food. Donate directly to a food pantry. The food banks should be donating the food. And if they can't afford to, then the executive director and the staff should take a salary cut.

Don't assume a check solves anything. It usually just pays someone's salary. It's also a lazy way to help others. "I wrote a check."

Get involved with your community. Ask why there are no options for the homeless. Find out why the homeless are not a priority in your community.

And don't buy into the "drug addicts and mentally ill" excuse. If you were homeless long enough, you would probably become mentally ill as well and turn to drugs to blot out the pain. The pain of realizing no one cares about you.

And get mad at the Democrats as well as the Republicans. They don't do much for the homeless either. Most are like Nancy Pelosi. They would prefer to have them arrested and thrown in jail. Hopefully to convince them to stay "out of sight, out of mind."

Where in all the trillions of dollars is there anything to address the cause of homelessness which is poverty?

This Congress is shameful. It is helping those who need help the least and doing absolutely nothing for those who need it most.

I think it's so heartwarming to know someone reached out to this woman but I have to ask if the person who reached out to her would have done so if there was not a lot of publicity involved in doing so.

She only helped after a very public plea to the president. So of course she looks good. What did she do before to help people? Write a check?

One person and her son were helped. Out of how many hundreds of thousands? All of whom will wonder why no one has helped them.