We’re always amazed at the generosity of Westlock’s service clubs and businesses.
Throughout the year they always step up to the plate for a wide variety of worthy causes — we know because we’re the ones taking the photos and writing those stories.
There’s nothing more inspiring then seeing dollars raised locally benefiting causes ranging from the community garden, to the resurrection of the Tawatinaw Ski Hill.
And certainly this is the time of year when we tend to publish the majority of those feel-good pieces as Christmas usually brings out the best in all of us.
It’s great see students at Westlock Elementary School raising money to help buy toys for Santa’s Anonymous, or the Knights of Columbus donating money to not only that cause, but to the food bank as well.
Local firefighters have also been busy collecting food and coats for kids for the last several weeks. In fact one firefighter went up the fire truck’s ladder Sunday and didn’t come down until residents donated $1,000 and 1,000 pounds of food.
But if there’s one critique, it’s the fact that come January most of us will forget about these causes until December rolls around again.
See, the thing is, people in Westlock and 2.7 million people across Canada, go hungry year round. And there are people who don’t have a good coat and can’t afford to buy themselves a new one.
So if there’s a message we’d like you to think about for 2019 and beyond is to make giving to local charities a year-round exercise.
It can be as simple as adding a couple of non-perishable food items to your cart once a week and then dropping them off at the food bank.
You can also volunteer your time to a worthy cause or service club as they are always looking for new members. And if you’re motivated to do even more, you can even organize your own food and clothing drive.
Trust us, giving feels good no matter the season.
