From an aerial viewpoint, 2020 has had its bright spots in Pine Bluff, what with some significant strides taken in the area of economic development.
But on an individual basis, it’s been a difficult year for many here and all over the country and world. The pandemic has forced businesses to close or reduce their workforces, and even with a vaccine that is now being put to use, it’s going to be several months before the good of that takes hold.
As rough as things are, though — and perhaps it is the year of the pandemic that has brought out the best in people — we cannot remember a year in which there was so much giving as 2020. In short, the reaching out to help a neighbor has been an unstoppable force this year.
There was the campuswide food drive at UAPB that brought in a mountain of food for Neighbor to Neighbor. And then the Saracen Casino Resort backed up a truck to Neighbor to Neighbor to drop off 400 turkeys.
Then there’s the Delta Food Network, which has teamed up with Tyson Foods across the year and given away hundreds of thousands of pounds of chicken to the needy all across Pine Bluff and beyond, with officials there saying the need this year has been much greater than in the past because of the pandemic. At one giveaway this past weekend, the line of cars to get food from the network stretched a mile.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
A couple of months ago, Sissy’s Log Cabin held a food drive in honor of its 50th anniversary, but then it jumped in with both feet in a food giveaway a couple of weeks ago. During that event, which was held along with First Ward/Living Grace Food Pantry, Sissy’s gave out food (enough to fill three 18-wheelers) and toys to hundreds of people.
This past week, the House of Bread Church had its food giveaway, and there were so many takers, there was a traffic jam and police were having to direct cars to keep things moving downtown.
And then there was New Life Church, which had set up a couple dozen frying stations on its parking lot and was frying turkeys. In an effort to instill the concept of giving and sacrifice, the church was asking people to bring in two turkeys — one of which would be given back to the person bringing them in, and the other going to a family in need.
Even today, it continues. There wasn’t going to be an annual Christmas lunch, but Mary Liddell was not going to stand for that, so she got busy and now there is a lunch. It’s aimed at those in need, but Liddell says all are welcome.
The list could go on. These bigger, more public shows of support get more publicity. But there are also the innumerable and unmentioned shows of kindness, such as from civic clubs and even individuals, that raise money and food and items for those in need.
The practice of giving is as old as humankind, with plenty of references in the Christian Bible and in the holy books of other religions, as well as in literature around the world, and in that way, we here are all connected no matter what our faith is or our ties.
Many times, the names and faces of the poor are unknown, but we give to organizations that tend to them — such as through the United Way. But sometimes it gets very personal with care administered to a single person or family that has fallen on hard times. It’s something as simple as “I have five and don’t need that many; you take one.” Or even “I have some, but your needs are greater than mine; here, have part of what I have.”
These are feel-good stories that are nice to consider at Christmas, when goodwill and cheer become part of the air we breathe, which is why we bring them up today. But quite a few of these activities go on all year long. The House of Bread will be working just as hard in February to meet the needs of the poor as they are in December, and the same is true for many other agencies in town. And likewise, Saracen and Sissy’s and others will doubtless find ways to give back throughout the year.
It has been said that Pine Bluff is one of the most generous cities in the state, based on the level of giving by its residents. Evidence of that has been in full view this season, but it’s also in full view all year long. We only speak the words “Merry Christmas” a handful of weeks out of the year, but Pine Bluff is a place where you could say it every single day.