While most people who received the stimulus checks needed them, I’ve heard from some people who are not sure why they are getting the stimulus checks; they are retired, on fixed income, but their home budget simply has not been financially affected by the pandemic.

For those folks, I recommend giving it away to charities who have been financially stressed by the fallout of the pandemic. The food pantries and homeless shelters have been overwhelmed. There have also been fundraisers for restaurant workers and others who couldn’t work because of the pandemic. If you belong to a church keep in mind that with less (or no) attendance, their collections are very likely down too. Spreading the money around can even become a bit of a way to pass the time while making a difference in other people’s lives.

There are certainly people who have been hurt by COVID. They are going to food banks and homeless shelters for any help they can get, many have been out of work for months. For those who don’t need some (or all) of their stimulus checks, consider donating to your choice of the many good causes out there that help people who need assistance. Lots of restaurant workers have gone through multiple closings of their workplaces. To help them, I’d suggest that when you can go back to eating out, add some extra to the tip. Grocery store workers have been essential to keeping their stores open, many of these jobs are not high paying positions but a few words of praise or a show of appreciation can mean a lot.

 

Scott Mosher

South China

Copy the Story Link