When charity becomes a nuisance

Tragedies have a way of opening the hearts and often times the wallets of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and what happened on Bell Island just before Christmas is a prime example of how the general public responds.

After three children died in a house fire just five days before Christmas more than $90,000 and countless items were donated to the four families involved in the tragedy.

It should have simply added up to a wonderful thing that happened when an outpouring generosity manifested in such a horrific time.

But it got ugly and CBC reported complaints of the families not having access to donated items or the money; it was being handled by a 12-member committee.

Last week the committee turned over the money to the families and, you can imagine, there are some not-so-happy members on that (now disbanded) committee.

While there are items that should probably have been immediately disbursed to the families involved, when you are dealing with significant monetary donations, some form of administration needs to be in place.

Now perhaps a 12-member committee was a little on the heavy and half that number might have even been just as, if not more, effective in disbursing the donations.

Whether it was toys, clothing, furniture or household items that were donated, it shouldn't sit in anyone's basement for weeks waiting for a green light from the committee; it should be brought directly to the families involved. The committee's mandate might have been better appreciated if they just had the financial donations to deal with.

People did donate in the spirit of giving to a family who'd lost so much but in general, people want to see their monetary donations used in frugal ways.

It's wrong to ostracize a volunteer committee, or even to question its purpose because there has to be some parameters in place and if a panel of people figure it's best to purchase a headstone or pay for a surviving child's dental braces, then so be it. It's hard to believe the intentions of that committee were less than noble; remember they are giving of their time freely.

As much as people are generous there are always those who give begrudgingly or choose not to give and justify it with the attitude, 'it doesn't go to where it should go anyway.'

This is evident right here in Labrador West; all we need to do is consider the community food bank. How often do you hear negative things about those who avail of the food bank service? Some people feel if someone has a cell phone, they shouldn't receive groceries, if a parent gambles away the family money, they shouldn't go to the food bank. If someone has a new vehicle, they shouldn't be going.

The thing is there are always a select few who take advantage, but the reality is, the people who do avail of that service are definitely in a bad spot and need a helping hand.

If a parent gambles away money, then is it OK to watch their child go hungry and not react? If a parent makes bad choices and gets into too much debt to purchase a new vehicle, do we have a right to say their children shouldn't eat?

The thing is, the food bank has an administration in place that allows for families to access the service without being stripped of their dignity with a scornful screening process.

The food bank is a success because the people who give like that it's administered that way or not the food wouldn't be coming in.

People give for many reasons. Some give because they genuinely feel awful for a family that's suffering and they want to do some little thing to help. Some give because a situation reminds them of a past tragedy or time in their own lives when they needed help. Some give freely and think no more about it. Some give and like to be noted as this wonderful giver. The rare one gives and then proceeds to judge; they are probably better off keeping it in their wallets where no one has to be accountable to them.

One thing that can always be said about Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, and even more so the people of Labrador West, they give generously but sometimes we are too judgmental of who we give to and then the spirit is lost in that cloud of dark thinking. Charity should never come as a nuisance, ever.

Reprinted from The Aurora