Nov 23 2008
My Bright, Beautiful Blanket
Month after month, year after year and with alarmingly increased urgency as the Festive Season approaches, the charities come knocking at our doors.
They appear in person - with old fashioned collection boxes.
They send us ever more artful begging letters.
They whinge at us from call centres.
They try to yank us in through our computer screeens.
Most insidious of all - they attempt to seduce us with unsolicited gifts.
In recent years I’ve been sent:umbrellas, tote bags, pens, personalised address labels, calendars, keyrings.
But beating the lot a couple of weeks ago was a thick, squashy envelope which would not slip through the box when the postman called.
It opened to reveal a bright, beautiful, soft and warming handmade blanket with an accompanying note from the World Relief Mission urging me to help ‘the needy children of Africa’.
Do I really need a gift to be persuaded to give back? Isn’t this a flagrant waste of other donors’ money?
Funds that could be much more usefully used to feed and clothe ‘Apia, Lokwia and Otol’.What do you think?
Drop me a line and let me know.
msniw
