As the holidays approach, we are all faced with the challenge of how to spread joy without overwhelming people with a multitude of donations.

After all, giving is part of the holiday experience, right? And giving to people in need of assistance is especially rewarding as we envision them opening their gifts during the holidays and realizing that people truly care.

Yet as we look at holiday assistance programs, we want you to think about how you can use the generosity of the holidays to really make a difference in a person’s life long after the season ends.

Think about it.

Giving someone a meal during the holidays is a good thing, but if we don’t follow up with a budget plan and perhaps a food stamp application, that same individual may go hungry during the winter.

The importance of giving people control

We will begin next week by presenting an interview with Angela, a woman who shares her personal experience with a holiday assistance program that didn’t end in December. In fact, they assisted her in setting personal goals that have truly made an impact on her life and the lives of her children.

Listen to her words and think about all the people you know who may receive holiday assistance this year and what they would say if asked the same questions.

I think most people would tell you they appreciate the gifts and goodwill, but they would really appreciate it if you could help them take control of their own life.

So maybe next year they could be donating a gift to someone else.

Make sense?