Editorial
Save some generosity for needs here at home
The outpouring of feeling in Hawai'i for the victims of the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attack has taken on truly chickenskin dimensions, from flag-waving to prayer services, from blood donation to epic generosity in monetary giving.
None of this should surprise anyone here or outside of this Land of Aloha. We've done ourselves proud.
But we've also given those who run the nonprofit agencies that depend on charitable donations here in Hawai'i a few sleepless nights. Will all of that giving in the wake of the terrorism attacks spell a reduction in giving for causes here at home?
It's a compelling question, because all the signs suggest that the charities that look out for those of us who fall on hard times will be hard-pressed to keep up with demand as we move into the Christmas season.
The timing couldn't be worse. About 800 Hawai'i families are slated to lose federal welfare benefits on Dec. 1, when new five-year limits take effect, and hundreds more are expected to be dropped from the rolls every month that follows.
That's the legacy of the so-called welfare reform, which became law during the Clinton administration. The benefits were really clear when the cost-savings were realized in the early years; the side effects, however, are about to come home to roost.
With the events of Sept. 11, it got worse. More than 4,400 people applied for unemployment benefits last week, compared to 1,400 in the week before the attacks, according to state figures.
It's a double whammy. Hundreds of our citizens are being dropped from welfare at a time when job openings couldn't be harder to find. At the same time, thousands more recently unemployed will have to scramble for the same jobs. They'll live on savings or with family for a time, and then some of them will also begin looking for help.
For many of them, charities like the Institute for Human Services, which houses the homeless, or the Hawai'i Foodbank and the River of Life Mission, which feed the hungry, will be the last house on the block.
The umbrella organization that supports dozens of such agencies, of course, is Aloha United Way. If you haven't contributed this year, or feel you could give more, call AUW at 536-1951.
It's clear that Hawai'i charities will need more, not less, support this year. Let's answer the call.
