With the Live8 concerts on today, everyone’s attention seems to be focussed on poverty in Africa, but we seem to all too often forget the poor that live among us. In a global sense, North Americans may be among the richest people in the world, but in an individual sense, many people are dependent on the kindness of strangers just to have food to eat or clothes to wear.
It’s not hard to provide that kindness either, it just seems to be something many of us forget about in the rush of our daily lives and the bombardment of charities asking us to help the poor in other countries. And doing so doesn’t have to kill the average budget.



Most of us can spend $100 or more in an average grocery shopping trip. Why not make it $103? A box of store-brand instant rice or pasta doesn’t cost much more than that, and many places have a food-bank box right in store. A couple of cans of soup or beans, or maybe even a package of diapers or baby food, maybe a pack of toilet paper or a box of Kleenexes… if we can afford Internet service, we’re probably lucky enough to be able to afford those basics for ourselves, but others can’t.

Three dollars out of a hundred? That’s 3%, far less than the 10% tithe asked by most churches. Yet that 3%, less than the cost of a latte, can make a big difference. The trick is not a one-time gift, but a regular habit of helping out others.

There are other things, too. Come August, the back-to-school push will be in full force. What about an inexpensive backpack with some of the back-to-school basics for a student that might not otherwise have them? Just paper, some inexpensive pens or pencils, some duotangs, or maybe a notebook or two. It’s not much, but it can mean a lot to someone who can’t afford those things.

Or maybe a Christmas box, assembled throughout the year. That great sale on cheap T-shirts in mid-September as the stores clear out the last of their summer wear? Why not grab one or two and put it aside. Some other items to consider might be socks and underwear, things that can’t (and shouldn't) be obtained second-hand, charity or otherwise... the same with toothbrushes and hairbrushes Maybe a small, inexpensive toy for a child… spread out throughout the year, most of us can afford to assemble quite the collection by Christmas and these ‘little things’ can mean a world of difference.

It's not a lot, 3%... and it doesn't even have to be that much. Just make a committment: each time you go shopping, buy one thing more for somebody else who might need it. Plan it out, make them deliberate acts of kindness. Your country may not thank you, but in their hearts, a stranger will.



If you can, join me in this effort, and spread the word. It doesn't take much.

Kindness. Let's give a little more.