Volunteering provides ample opportunities to meaningfully connect with people, a truth I was reminded of while serving with Watered Gardens’ overnight shelter as I listened to a man share about his romantic relationship. Though he confidently shared about the relationship’s quality, I noticed some red flags, so I attempted “truth in love” — I asked him how he knew their relationship was as healthy as he said. Immediately, his eyes glazed over and, wordlessly, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and began scrolling absentmindedly.
https://www.truecharity.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/pexels-mikotoraw-3367850.jpg10422000Savannah Alecksonhttps://www.truecharity.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/TC-logo-01.pngSavannah Aleckson2020-11-13 10:00:002025-06-18 06:48:07Subsidizing Isolation: Unintended Consequences of the FCC’s ‘Lifeline’ Program
“We normally see 30 to 40 clients a day,” said the manager of a Joplin, Missouri food pantry. “Since the pandemic, we’ve seen a sharp decrease in number of clients, sometimes as few as four a day.” This is not what I expected to hear when I visited this food pantry to learn about their programs. But their experience is not an anomaly.
https://www.truecharity.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/TC-logo-01.png00Nathan Mayohttps://www.truecharity.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/TC-logo-01.pngNathan Mayo2020-08-06 15:54:362025-06-18 07:04:07Where Did All the Poor People Go?
James Whitford Executive Director Versions of this article were also published by The Federalist and The Joplin Globe. Face masks are “all we’ve got right now to fight […]
https://www.truecharity.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/James-Face-Mask-Article-Header_v2-3-scaled-1.jpg8202048James Whitfordhttps://www.truecharity.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/TC-logo-01.pngJames Whitford2020-07-09 19:09:392025-06-18 07:05:58Why Should Government Mandate What We Can Do Ourselves?
By Savannah Aleckson, published in the Joplin Globe on May 3rd, 2020 It’s been a historic year already, and we’re not even halfway through 2020. From the onset of the COVID-19 […]
https://www.truecharity.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/united-states-capitol-dome-with-dramatic-clouds-RW99MWU.png6211000Savannah Alecksonhttps://www.truecharity.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/TC-logo-01.pngSavannah Aleckson2020-04-16 17:42:342025-06-18 07:22:33How the CARES Act Could Be “Helping” That Hurts
I love our fight for civil society. It’s not just Joplin. Communities throughout the Midwest fight to retain hospitality and restore neighborliness while volunteers care for their community members struggling […]
https://www.truecharity.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/matt-collamer-8UG90AYPDW4-unsplash.jpg13332000James Whitfordhttps://www.truecharity.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/TC-logo-01.pngJames Whitford2019-09-02 17:03:372025-06-19 06:38:15James Whitford: Could government welfare be undermining compassion?
by James Whitford Our Founding Fathers said so. The debate as to whether helping those in need should be a matter of public or private funding is not new. Few […]
Subsidizing Isolation: Unintended Consequences of the FCC’s ‘Lifeline’ Program
Volunteering provides ample opportunities to meaningfully connect with people, a truth I was reminded of while serving with Watered Gardens’ overnight shelter as I listened to a man share about his romantic relationship. Though he confidently shared about the relationship’s quality, I noticed some red flags, so I attempted “truth in love” — I asked him how he knew their relationship was as healthy as he said. Immediately, his eyes glazed over and, wordlessly, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and began scrolling absentmindedly.
Where Did All the Poor People Go?
“We normally see 30 to 40 clients a day,” said the manager of a Joplin, Missouri food pantry. “Since the pandemic, we’ve seen a sharp decrease in number of clients, sometimes as few as four a day.” This is not what I expected to hear when I visited this food pantry to learn about their programs. But their experience is not an anomaly.
Why Should Government Mandate What We Can Do Ourselves?
James Whitford Executive Director Versions of this article were also published by The Federalist and The Joplin Globe. Face masks are “all we’ve got right now to fight […]
How the CARES Act Could Be “Helping” That Hurts
By Savannah Aleckson, published in the Joplin Globe on May 3rd, 2020 It’s been a historic year already, and we’re not even halfway through 2020. From the onset of the COVID-19 […]
James Whitford: Could government welfare be undermining compassion?
I love our fight for civil society. It’s not just Joplin. Communities throughout the Midwest fight to retain hospitality and restore neighborliness while volunteers care for their community members struggling […]
Why Private funding?
by James Whitford Our Founding Fathers said so. The debate as to whether helping those in need should be a matter of public or private funding is not new. Few […]