The Rev.

Monday, October 30, 2000

The Rev. James Cremeans of the Ironton City Welfare Mission is worried. He isn’t sure what is going to happen when the many needy families who have headed to now-closed Central Christian Church food pantry for help in the past hit his doors this Thanksgiving.

One fact he knows for sure, however. There will be many.

This hasn’t been an easy year for Lawrence County’s needy families. Job losses, welfare benefits cuts and other stresses have some families with budgets that just won’t stretch enough to cover food, bills and clothes.

Rev. Cremeans knows that he needs help to make sure that this is not a sad, lonely and hungry holiday for local families.

And that is where we come in.

The mission needs donations more than ever this year. Food drives will help, but so, too, will money. The mission gets a discount on its food purchases and can get more for every dollar in donations.

Send money now. Don’t wait until a few days before Thanksgiving or Christmas to help. That might be too late for a family that only gets the courage to seek help after the supplies have been depleted and it is too late to get more food.

We should get our children involved, too. Nothing teaches children about what it means to be poor than sharing a little of their own wealth with someone less fortunate. Compassion is a virtue that is becoming rarer and rarer in this age of plenty. Now is a good time to teach our youngsters that they have responsibilities to their community as well as themselves.

There is still plenty of time for Lawrence County to make sure that not a single family in this area goes without a meal this holiday season. Let’s make it our goal to make that happen.

This community has proven time and time again that it sticks by its neighbors when the going gets tough. There is simply no obstacle too big for such a warm-hearted group of people.

We are battling our way back to economic prosperity through determination and hard work.

We are taking take care of business; now, let’s take a little time to care for each other.