Join Season of Sharing and help prevent homelessness
Home is a comfortable place for so many of us. It's our place of refuge -- whether it's after a busy day of work or a bad day on the golf course. We rely on home for a safe place to sleep, to read, to have friends over for dinner. It's where family conversations take place around the table -- sometimes around the television during a heated football game.
But for too many people in Manatee County who have to live paycheck to paycheck, home is an idea that can slip away without warning. An unforeseen circumstance -- the sudden loss of a job, an illness, a car that breaks down, or even a domestic violence incident -- can trigger a frightening turn of events that ultimately leads to homelessness. Most of us are unfamiliar with these situations since we have safety nets of savings accounts, friends and family.
What happens to a child growing up in a single parent home when her mother's car breaks down and she cannot afford repairs, electricity, and rent that month? Or to a senior who experiences a sudden illness and has to choose between expensive medication, food, and the mortgage? Remember your kids, your parents, your grandparents; this is not what you hope for them or for people like them.
Sixteen years ago, the Season of Sharing campaign was started by our friends at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and the Herald-Tribune Media Group to serve as a safety net for people on the verge of homelessness who had nowhere else to turn. Today, the Manatee Community Foundation and Bradenton Herald are among the partners that work hard to make sure this initiative serves our residents in need.
In Manatee County, Turning Points and Manatee Community Action Agency act as the fiscal agents of Season of Sharing funds. They have caseworkers who work directly with individuals and families to determine need, and funds go directly to pay for electricity bills, car repairs, or rent to make sure they can remain in their homes.
Many hearts resonate with this cause. If you are like many others who also like to understand the economics of charitable investments, Season of Sharing is also worth considering. We know, for instance, that it is eight times more expensive to help families and individuals get back into permanent housing once they become homeless.
As board chair of the Manatee Community Foundation, I get to see compassion in action every day. People in our community come out to help each other. You may never get to meet the recipients of your generosity, but you can make a difference you cannot imagine by paying it forward.
I invite you to join our communitywide effort to raise money for veterans, seniors, families and others on the verge of homeless.
To make your tax-deductible gift that will have tremendous local impact, contact Manatee Community Foundation at 941-747-7765 or make your gift online at www.cfsarasota.org/Sea sonofSharing.
Karen Miller, is president of the board of directors of the Manatee Community Foundation.
This story was originally published December 20, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Join Season of Sharing and help prevent homelessness ."