Yesterday at the grocery store, a somewhat familiar sight from the past greeted me:
Yes, the toilet paper was mostly gone.
I attributed this to two things: panic about the longshoreman strike at the ports (which lasted 2 days and has resolved itself for now) and the urge to donate goods into the many donation boxes that sprang up around the county to help out the folks who lost everything in the floods in far southwestern Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, courtesy of Hurricane Helene.
We donated, too, but not toilet paper. We bought food for cattle at the local farmers' cooperative, which as I understand it went to our neighbors in far southwestern Virginia. I also donated to the United Way, which seems to be doing a good job in North Carolina.
It's hard to know what to do when an emergency strikes your neighbors - or your own community. You need and want help right away, but the flood waters have to recede, the winds have to die down, and the manpower has to be able to make to wherever you are.
I've been in the mountainous terrain in the areas around me, and there are tiny communities everywhere, back in the gullies and hollers where no one thinks anyone lives. Some people who are missing may never be found.
And now there's another hurricane headed for Florida, which also was hit by Hurricane Helene. I hope everyone has left the area as this large storm - Hurricane Milton - hits that part of the country again.
It's so sad that this natural disaster has hurt so many, and some people make it worse. Praying for all in the path of hurricane Milton and those hurt by the last hurricane. Thanks for your contributions!
ReplyDeleteMy niece lives in the Asheville area and has lost her job due to the storm's impact on the travel industry--she worked at a resort in the region that decided to close for the season as the road to it was washed away.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I'm in a store that sells those single mega-rolls of TP, I grab one. It's my covid holdover habit. I'm a little contrary when it comes to charitable giving after a tragedy. I learned after 9/11 -- when Chicagoland wasn't directly affected -- that local charities really suffered. Everyone was sending their incremental dollars to New York. I understand the sentiment, but it taught me a lesson. So while I made an extra contribution to the ASPCA's hurricane efforts, I try to keep my emotions in check and keep my regular giving steady. It's also why I give a little every month to Doctors Without Borders. That way, when I see something tragic overseas, I can say to myself, "Put your wallet down, Gal. DWB is there and you helped." PS The United Way does wonderful work, so I"m sure you had an impact.
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