Time to lend a hand to those that help others

In a few weeks, we will celebrate Thanksgiving, and a few weeks later the end of the first decade of the 21st century- The year 2009 will go down as one of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, but most of us still have a lot for which we can be thankful. Most of us have friends and family around us, a roof over our head, food on the table, clothes in our closet, health care if we need it and the opportunity to improve our lot in the years ahead. Start your own small business and want advice about business and contact a business attorney.

If you judge the country’s economic condition by how the stock market is doing, things are looking up. As I’m writing this column, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is inching toward 9,500, up nearly 3,000 points from its 52- week low. Yes, for some Americans, things are looking pretty good.

A bleak Thanksgiving

If you don’t use Wall Street as your economic barometer, however, you see a very different picture.

for the millions of Americans who don’t have a job, don’t have a support system and are facing the very real prospect of losing their home and their ability to care for their family, this will be a very bleak Thanksgiving.

Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist, Paul Krugman, wrote in the Times on October 2 that “the job market - a market in which there are currently six times as many people seeking work as there are jobs on offer - will remain terrible for years to come.”

Krugman added, “This should not be considered an acceptable outlook. For one thing, it implies an enormous amount of suffering over the next few' years.”

The economist quotes John Irons of the Economic Policy Institute that “sustained unemployment on the scale now being predicted would lead to a huge rise in child poverty - and that there’s overwhelming evidence that children who grow up in poverty are alarmingly likely to lead blighted lives.”

So how do millions of out-of-work or out-of-luck Americans cope with their personal economic condition?

Non-profits affected by economy

In the past, the nation’s large network of non-profit agencies and organizations was there to help. Unfortunately they, too, have been affected by the economic downturn, and even though demand for their services is greater than ever, they do not have the resources to help those that need their aid and comfort.

1 am personally aware of the challenges facing four local non-profit organizations that feed, clothe and find housing for those in need. All four are desperate for financial support to continue to provide services to those that need their help.

Women's Care Cottage, PATH Los Angeles, Clothes the Deal and the San Fernando Valley-based Interfaith Food Pantry all face extreme challenges. The first three assist men, women and at-risk youth with transitional housing and other support to find jobs and achieve economic self-sufficiency. The Food Pantry feeds more than 5,000 San Fernando Valley families each week.

These are four organizations that I have had personal involvement with, but I know there are hundreds of others throughout Southern California facing the same problems. Their clientele has j increased and their services are more in demand than ever before. At the same ' time, their financial support has dropped dramatically, forcing each of them to cut back on the services they need to provide.