Read Feel Good Friday for December 9, 2022

To Your Health!

As we’re now in the middle of the holiday season, our attention turns to those in need and how we can help. While the practice of giving, in all forms, is a wonderful act to take, there are actual mental and physical benefits to giving.

Studieshaveshownthatnotonlydoesgivingmakeusfeelgood,butit’salsogoodforus.Forexample, a study of more than 2,000 residents in California found that volunteerism reduced mortality rates more than exercising four times weekly and attending church regularly. If you volunteered for two or more causes, you had a 63% lower rate of mortality than those that didn’t. (Journal of Health Psychology).

Wonderfully, it’s not only giving of your time that helps your health; giving of your treasure does as well. Even contemplating sharing your wealth can have a positive effect on your biology. (Jorge Moll, D’Or Institute for Research and Education, Brazil.)

So, as you think about giving to others, know that it helps you too…emotionally and physically. That’s the good news. Here’s the not-so-good news:

The tapestry of those who need us is larger and wider than we think, and currently is even larger than we normally see. We have neighbors, coworkers, and friends who are just one unforeseen accident or illness away from falling into crisis.

These are our ALICE neighbors. ALICE is an acronym for AssetLimited,IncomeConstrained,Employed. These neighbors have full-time jobs, but their income from that job is not enough to pull them up from just surviving paycheck to paycheck. There is no thriving, simply surviving. No room for saving, planning. We know ALICE, but we don’t really see ALICE because ALICE often wears an invisible cloak of instability.

Approximately 40% of Delaware families live at or under the ALICE survival budget. Read that again… approximately 40%.Delaware recently joined the national ALICE network.Together,wecanandwillworktoaddressthisunacceptablerealityandth is unacceptable percentage.

You can be part of the solution.

You can choose to give of your time and/or your treasure. That makes you a philanthropist. As a philanthropist, you can help the ALICE neighbor you know — the ALICE professional who helps you at the grocery store, or who works at your local school, or who is your coworker.

This season, you can give because it’s the right thing to do AND because it’s good for your health: Just go here to donate to help those who are less fortunate.

Read Feel Good Friday for December 9, 2022