Happy Blog Action Day

In case you missed it, today is Blog Action Day - a day when blogs all around the internet talk about a certain issue and link to sites that talk about that certain issue. Today's issue that we are taking action on is poverty. How, you may ask, are bloggers taking action? Let's go right to the horse's mouth:

"Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion. "

At this point, I feel compelled to say that "awareness" and "discussion" are not "action." They are awareness and discussion. "Action" involves volunteering or donating. It's easy to link to a non-profit whose job it is to call on more government funding to help these people out. That's a lazy solution for people who want to feel like they have made a difference without getting their hands dirty.

But even though the temperature has been in the 80s this week in Your Nation's Capital, it's going to get cold soon, and there are going to be folks who can't pay the home heating bill - or worse, don't have a place to call home at all. There are always too many people who, for whatever reason, can't get enough to eat.

As a good friend of mine once said, poverty is not a social problem - it's a personal problem. Each person who suffers from poverty, homelessness, or hunger has their own path to that destination. That's why small, local charities are the best equipped to deal with it through personal attention and help.

Your local homeless shelter, your church, or any number of community charities can use your time - and the people they help will appreciate it. So take action.