Even when so much is happening in our own lives and to our economy, it’s the right time to be helping others.

October 15 is Blog Action Day 2008. What is Blog Action Day? It’s an annual event where bloggers come together to talk about an important global subject. This year, we’re talking about poverty. The unfortunate thing is that poverty is so far removed from anything that middle-class America has seen that we tend to have a hard time truly understanding the magnitude of this problem. Sure, we want to help people that are suffering. No, of course we don’t want people to starve, die of horrible diseases or live without suitable drinking water. But we don’t really “get” what severe poverty is because it’s not a part of our reality.

I live in Los Angeles, so I see and speak to our neighbors on the streets on a pretty regular basis. I do my best to provide a meal, a few dollars or an item they might need (blanket, umbrella, etc.) whenever I can. Many people accept my offers with gratitude and with obvious need. At other times though, my offers are refused. This shocked and confused me the first time it happened. Why would someone who was walking around with trash bags tied to their feet refuse money and food? He’s easy to describe… he is the spitting image of Robin Williams in The Fisher King (with a little more dirt and a longer beard), and for a second when I met him I thought perhaps it was Robin Williams, practicing for a sequel (it is LA, stranger things have happened). I also considered that he might be mentally challenged as my mind said, “He’s saying no? Well that doesn’t make sense. There must be something wrong…” But after my offer, he smiled at me with a twinkle in his eye and said, “Not right now. God bless you.” It was the way he said it and the look he gave me that made me believe that he knew exactly what he said and he said what he meant.

He lives in the shopping center near my house so I’ve seen him a number of times since that first visit (and offered things to him on another occasion with a similar response). Observing him and watching some of the other homeless men and women in that area, I’ve come to realize something. Many like him, living on the street, are doing ok. He lives a simple life and gets what he needs to survive. He’s got clothes on his body (albeit very dirty and shredded ones, but they serve their purpose) and he’s got trash bags that he’s made into functioning shoes. He lives behind a strip mall with a grocery store, so I believe he and the rest of the homeless community there get most of their food from the dumpsters in the parking lot. This probably sounds like I’m trying to convince you that people don’t need our help. On the contrary, my point is to illustrate that in the same way that there are many levels of wealth, there are also many levels of poverty.

Here in a giant city like Los Angeles, there are hoses that provide drinking water and restaurants that dump MASSIVE amounts of (perfectly edible) food. There are goodhearted, giving people who work tirelessly in soup kitchens, homeless shelters and medical clinics (you could be one of those) to help those below the poverty line. This does not mean that people aren’t suffering here and it doesn’t mean that everyone in this situation knows what to do or where to get help. But things are often better here than other places. In extreme climates, I cannot imagine the challenges that one faces when trying to find food and water while attempting to survive pneumonia in the freezing cold, or to survive heat exhaustion without the ability to cool off. In remote areas like the Appalachian Mountains, individuals as well as families are suffering at a level we can only begin to contemplate. Frequently, the entire community is in the same situation, so it’s not as simple as outstretching your hand to your neighbor to survive. I saw a documentary in college that opened my eyes to poor rural areas in America. I highly suggest seeing it if you haven’t already: Brother’s Keeper.

On an even larger scale than this, there are countries where most of the population is living without. Without health, without jobs, without shelter, without food and without drinkable water. These people are trying, just like we are, to make a life for themselves and for their families. They want to provide a better life for their children than they experienced. They want to see them grow up, find a mate, have children of their own. But they have no options. That is why even as we are tightening our purse strings and hearing daily woes about our economy, it is time for us to help.

I’ve come up with a list of a few things you can do. Don’t put this off. Recognize that you are part of this world and what you do (or don’t do) today can make a change in someone’s tomorrow. Why should you help?

Call it karma or “what goes around comes around”, but we’ve all had times in our lives where we’ve needed someone else’s assistance. It’s your turn. It’ll come back to you, I promise.

Helping others feels good. Even if no one else ever finds out that you did it, you’ll feel better about yourself for doing so. I have a close friend who is going through a terrible, bitter divorce right now. She’s sad and suffering in so many ways. How can you make your life better when everything around you is going to shit? Make the time to do something for someone else. It doesn’t matter how busy you are. You DO have the time, it’s all about what you make a priority. You’ll get so much from the few hours you “lose”, you might just want to do it again. And again. And again.

I’ve come up with a few suggestions that can make a difference in someone’s life. I am so inspired by the projects and products that people have created to help others. The statement, “necessity is the mother of invention” truly relates to the ideas below.

(1) Donate to the IMA and provide health and healing to some of the most impoverished countries in the world.

(2) Donate a Life Straw (or ten). LifeStraws are incredible water purifiers available for families and individuals that prevent disease and help save lives. Over a billion people live without access to clean drinking water. This is unacceptable and we can change this.

(3) Donate to a Play Pump fund. “Kids Play, Water Pumps.” It’s as simple as that, but does so much.

(4) Give animals through Heifer International. By providing a community with livestock, milk, eggs and fresh vegetables, you can help make them self-sufficient.

(5) Donate time and/or money to a local soup kitchen. If that list doesn’t help, I’d be happy to help you find one in your area. Email me at meredith@musegreen.com and I’ll do the research for you. Just tell me where you are and I’ll track one down.

(6) Get inspired and think outside the box. Learn a little about Secret Freegan for inspiration.

(7) Become a member of ONE.org. Then take action. Tell Congress. Tell your friends. Then have your friends tell their friends. One.org is one big community helping the world. And it all starts with you.

(8) Empower an entrepreneur to make a difference half a world away by donating to Kiva.

(9) Buy products that are fairly traded and that help communities become self-sufficient. For example, get a pair of sandals at EcoSandals to help the Korogocho, Kenya project.

(10) Get creative! I encourage you to find something, anything that works within your time constraints and budget.

What have you or your family and friends done to help improve the lives of others? Big or small, every idea has the potential to trigger an idea for someone else, so please share!