This Time of Year

On my commute to work every morning I pass a makeshift sign attached to an overpass that states, “22% of children in the U.S. live in poverty.” As if traffic was not bad enough, the drive also confronts me with some of the stark realities of life in 2011. The fact is that depending on how you look at the childhood poverty issue, the number is anywhere from 17% - 35% of children in the U.S. are impacted by poverty.

The recent economic down turn has only exacerbated the situation. I suggest that poverty is perhaps the greatest contributing factor to the fracture of families, jeopardizing the well-being of children in many ways. Poverty is a sad and tragic reality that is hard to comprehend and often is understated. We see the result of poverty every day in the children and families we serve at Hillsides.

As we get ready for the holiday season, this is the time for us to reach out to our donors and supporters to ask for your help to provide food and gifts for all the children, youth and families we serve. Especially during this time of financial challenges, your assistance can make the difference to provide a happy holiday season for everyone we serve. Your donation helps to ease the anxiety of many families who, with very limited resources, none-the-less attempt to provide a happy and memorable holiday for their children. Please find more information on how and what you might be able to do to make the holidays a wonderful celebration for these very vulnerable children and families.  

I urge you to consider what you might be able to do now. This is a busy season with many distractions and we can easily put this off until much later in the season.

As you know, we can never do enough for those we serve--even more reason then for us to do our best. It makes such a difference, especially at a time of historic economic challenges, for the children and families we serve to be supported by each of us.

Thanks for all you do.