Giving when it matters most

As the price of crude oil shoots skyward and the value of the dollar falls against every currency except, perhaps, wampum (legal tender at a casino near you), economists and retailers are pacing the floor.

They aren't the only ones who are on edge.

“Charity executives are nervously monitoring the mortgage debacle while food and energy costs continue to rise,” a recent Associated Press story reported.

And it couldn’t happen at a worse time.

“Food banks and homeless shelters are already grappling with reduced federal aid,” the AP story continued, “as fears grow that more people will need help just as charity giving starts to decline.”

That would seem to be the natural consequence of universal belt-tightening in response to the economic triple whammy of unaffordable oil, loan defaults and a 98-pound weakling currency. With less disposable income, Americans will cut back where they can, and one of the first budget items to be marked down or eliminated is “donations.” It should be the last.

The effect on the most vulnerable among us is magnified. Consider that losing $20 would be an inconvenience to someone taking home $500 a week. For someone making considerably less — or not working at all — it could be devastating.

Another recent AP story outlined the scope of the problem: “More than 35.5 million people in this country went hungry in 2006 as they struggled to find jobs that can support them, a figure that was virtually unchanged from the previous year, the Agriculture Department said.”

More than one in 10 Americans said they did not have enough money or resources to get food for at least some period during the year, and 11.1 million of those who went hungry said they had “very low food security,” meaning that they had a substantial disruption on the amount of food they typically eat.

Despite our blissful nickname, Happy Valley is not immune.

Many of the so-called “invisible poor” live paycheck to paycheck, as the Centre Daily Times series that began Sunday is showing in graphic detail. “Beneath the prosperity lie challenges,” Sunday’s introduction pointed out, as many members of the local work force struggle.

They struggle with finding an affordable place to live, with landing a job that does more than just barely cover rent, with paying medical bills or with meeting living costs that are spiraling upward faster than salaries — if their salaries are rising at all.

Read the series — we’ll have more to say about it here later.

And when economic circumstances force you to make choices, to tighten your belt, remember those among us who don’t have a belt. They can’t afford one.

While making prudent choices to balance your budget, please don’t forget those who are hurting even more.

We have encouraged support of Centre Volunteers in Medicine, Housing Transitions, The Salvation Army, local food banks and many other social agencies and volunteer groups that provide vital services to Centre County residents who need them.

Don’t forget them — especially as the need increases.