Community

As a transplanted Californian / East Coaster / Midwesterner I can honestly say that I love the West. I embrace the big sky and the culture of free-thinking, do-it-yourselfers ranging hale and hearty amongst the foothills. Of course, just as the Rockies rein in our view we Coloradans are occasionally constrained by our economic dependence on government energy and water projects, the barely bearable traffic conditions on I70 and the same economic and real estate downturns that affect our less fortunate neighbors in other states. These factors recall our mutual reliance on friends and neighbors and the fact that no one can really make it by him- or herself. A community is best suited to raise children, support families in times of illness, and provide a lift over the times of economic troubled waters.

In my cozy suburban square mile I see the same sort of barn-raising, quilting bee mentality that enabled settlers to survive their initial years past the reach of civilization; a circle-the-wagons attitude that embraces those of us trying to survive childrearing in the absence of parents, brothers, and sisters. Many of my Colorado friends are transplants who love Colorado but struggle to raise kids and survive budget or health hiccups without family members close by. In my five years here I’ve seen amazing generosity. Got a busted hip? Let’s bring the kids home from school for you, drop over a few meals, arrange a few playdates. New baby? How about a few meals a week for the next two months? Back surgery – no problem. Time and again I have gratified to receive a meal, a playdate, a pinch-hit school pickup and only too glad to respond in kind when my turn rolled around. We form new families and cling together when the life raft hits high water.

Of course this generosity cannot solely be attributed to a Rocky Mountain high, but I have lived many places in this country and have never seen this type of caring. On the East Coast you may find something similar due to the fact that 25 family members will live within a 4 – town radius of each other their entire lives, but never on the West Coast, the Midwest or varied spots in between have I been fortunate enough to find such open arms and such hard-working hands.

I wonder how people make it without such a support network. With unemployment rates high and costs holding steady or increasing how do those families scrape by? A New York Times editorial noted, “In the Long Island portion of the Feeding America study, researchers surveyed more than 600 food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters and interviewed people who had sought food at those places. The study concluded that about 280,000 Long Islanders needed help last year, a 21 percent increase from 2006. Only a small percentage of these clients were homeless or elderly. Thirty-nine percent were children under 18.

The study found that volunteers are central to the success of emergency feeding programs. On Long Island, 88 percent of food pantries and 92 percent of soup kitchens rely on volunteers. But the news conference revealed that many of the volunteers who collected and served food have become newly hungry and jobless.”(Feb. 9, 2010)

Surely those in Denver area experience a similar situation. Without relatives, communities and volunteers how will those in crisis make it through to the other side? I don’t believe that folks can always make it alone, and if they do strive to fight solo it can be soul-draining and discouraging. I am fortunate enough to benefit from a stable economic situation and a supportive community and I feel the need to give back. "For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required." -- Luke 12:48 We can’t abandon those who did not get lucky, who have fallen outside of the social net. What to do? A question to ponder, keeping other folks in mind while we are looking out for those closest to us.