Charity shouldn’t be used as a form of holiday entertainment for your kids
 A few years ago, my phone began ringing off the hook. It was the week before Thanksgiving and I was operating a shelter for women and children. Dozens of people were looking for places to donate food, resources and their time. A few weeks before this, we were struggling to find help and now, as the holidays approached, there seemed to be no end in sight of people who wanted to give their time for a few hours on a random Thursday. Now, one might argue that all of us in the nonprofit world should be grateful for the sudden outpouring of support. But as I fielded the calls, I started to have some suspicions about their intentions.
?I want my kids to learn to be thankful for what they have,? one woman said. ?I figured if they saw all these people without, they might learn their lesson.? Another person left a voicemail message: ?My wife and I have been very blessed and we need a reminder of how bad things can be.?
As the calls continued, it became clear that many of these folks weren?t thinking about the clients we served, rather their own particular interest. They essentially wanted to use the holidays as a poverty zoo. A type of tourism where they could go and observe disparity from behind the safe space of a serving line and then leave feeling better about their circumstances. This isn?t a blanket judgment either; this was their own words.
I was faced with a difficult decision. Do I turn these folks and their assistance away or trade a mother?s dignity in exchange for ...
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