Filling our grocery carts these days tends to empty our wallets a whole lot quicker, much the same as tapping off our gas tanks.
For families already trying to balance housing, utilities, transportation, child care costs and everything else that comes with everyday life, the price of putting the same food on our table seems to take more of a chunk each and every week.
Sometimes, something has to give.
That is why efforts such as Saturday morning’s food distribution at Sampson Middle School matter so much. Approximately 260 families received boxes of non-perishable food and a meat product through the partnership between Clinton City Schools, Second Harvest Food Bank and numerous community volunteers.
Those 260 boxes represent more than food.
Maybe receiving one meant a family could put a few extra dollars toward the electric bill. Maybe it helped someone stretch a paycheck until Friday. Maybe it allowed a parent to fill the gas tank without worrying quite as much about what would be served for supper.
Whatever the circumstance, that is what these programs are supposed to do — lighten the load, even if only a little.
And Saturday’s event is far from the only opportunity available.
Throughout Sampson County, churches regularly open their doors for food distributions and other assistance. Organizations such as The Grateful Shed and numerous nonprofits, civic organizations and community groups continually work to put food and other necessities into the hands of people who need them.
Our community is fortunate to have such groups in our midst. But those resources can only help when people are willing to use them.
There should be no shame in accepting a little assistance when times are difficult. There is nothing wrong with admitting that the grocery bill has become too much this month or that an unexpected expense has stretched the household budget beyond its limits.
Hard times do not discriminate.
The person who needs help today may very well be the person handing out boxes tomorrow. That is part of what community is supposed to mean.
We often talk about helping our neighbors, but helping requires two sides. Someone has to be willing to give, and sometimes someone else has to be humble enough to receive.
Neither role should carry embarrassment.
For those who are able to help, donate a few cans. Give a few dollars. Volunteer for a couple of hours. Support the church pantry or nonprofit organization that quietly serves families week after week.
For those who need the assistance, use it.
Take the box of groceries. Visit the food pantry, pull through the distribution line, allow somebody else to carry a small part of the burden for a little while.
Then, when circumstances are better, perhaps there will be an opportunity to return that kindness to someone else.
That is how strong communities are built.
Not through grand gestures alone, but through hundreds of small ones — a box of groceries, a bag of canned goods, an hour spent volunteering or simply recognizing when a neighbor could use a hand.
None of us carries life’s load entirely alone.
And when that load becomes a little too heavy, there is something special about living in a community willing to reach over, grab a corner and help carry it.