Anywhere you go, you can feel the holiday season approaching. Malls are deck out with Christmas trees, cheerful jingle-belled songs blasting on the radio, and ads on the television or Instagram all offering special holiday sales and promotions. Despite the fact that Maryland is having an unseasonably warm December this year, the holidays are a coming. Here at The GIVEN, we believe that this is a great time and reason to give back and also support those who are in need.
Health Care for Homeless says that on almost any given night, 3,000 people will experience homelessness, summing to 30,000 a year. Moreover, this number is a pressing one because more than half of Maryland’s homeless population resides in Baltimore. So many people are homeless because of many reasons beyond the obvious. While many people are quick to judge homeless people as uneducated or addicted to drugs and alcohol, these are simply symptoms of a greater problem: a growing pool of impoverished people, an increasing wage/wealth gap, the prevalence of drugs and crime in the inner cities, and less attention from the government in schools.
Many have been bombarded with bad luck after bad luck and soon they were unable to even climb out of the hole that life dug them. Many have been saturated in a culture of crime and gang violence, so they were unable to receive the proper education and skills to receive jobs. The price of housing is also constantly on the rise, which also correlates with a high cost of living. Often, while homeless people may have a job, it could be too low paying to even afford a small studio apartment in the rough side of the city.
So what are some ways you can help?
- Buy a hot meal for them: Often time, I’m concerned about how the money I donate is spent, this is a great way to help someone out and have peace of mind.
- Volunteer at a homeless shelter: This could be a great growing experience, especially if you participate together with a group of friends or your family.
- Have a conversation with them: While daunting at first, this is probably the most invaluable thing you can do. They have been hit with so much hardships and now they are alone on the streets. Many homeless people face depression because they lack human interaction. Ask them about where they’re from and even (carefully) ask them how they became homeless. They usually have truly insightful and interesting stories to tell.
So during this holiday season, let’s all remember that there are always people who are more in need than us and that we can always share with those who have less. The GIVEN wants to share knowledge with students who are less fortunate but what to succeed. We provide high quality, personally verified tutors to answer the questions that student outside of their classroom, where most homework and exam studying takes place.
The GIVEN 