In honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday I decided to do some community service. My family went to an event organized by Main Line Reform Temple where the kids read for a Books on Tape program and packed care packages for children in the Methodist Home in Philadelphia. 1000 (!) kids without parents live there.
Me? I started the day by donating blood. I’m AB Positive and I know my type is rather rare. (OK, stop the jokes right now!) I’ve always felt that giving blood is a mitzvah (commandment) just like giving tzedakah. Actually, I’ve been doing some research and I’ve found out that statistics show that people who give tzedakah are twice as likely to also donate blood. There is a direct correlation between giving money and blood. Blood donors are also far more likely to volunteer their time. And they are also far more likely to be part of a church or synagogue.
Americans are, by and large (and especially compared to Europeans) generous when it comes to charitable giving. The average amount given by families is 3.5% of household income, or about $1,800. Actually, private American giving could more than finance the entire annual gross domestic product (GDP) of Sweden, Norway, or Denmark.
Still, 75 million Americans never give to any causes, charities or religious institutions. Moreover, 130 million Americans never volunteer any time at all.
On a day devoted to remembering a great servant of the community we should all reassess what we are willing to give to make the world a better place.
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1 comment:
keep up the great work. vis a vis giving blood as a mitzvah, i am sure it is part of saving a life. plain and simple. as is all tzedakah - tzedakah truly saves lives in many ways. (tzedakah tatzeel m'mavet).
anyway, yasher koach.
arnie draiman
ziv tzedakah fund
www.ziv.org
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