Editorial: Help us to help others

It's that time of year again to start giving to those in need.

It's that time of the year again - time for the Rotorua Daily Post and The Hits 97.5FM food drive for the Salvation Army.

Tonight dozens of volunteers will be hitting the streets in three Rotorua suburbs - Ngongotaha, Western Heights and Springfield - to collect cans and other non-perishable food items as part of the food drive to help the city's most vulnerable.

Sadly, in the past few years it seems the Salvation Army needs our help more and more.

We've listened to politicians go on and on about child poverty and people having to rely on welfare, but they still cannot make ends meet and end up asking for help from non-governmental organisations like the Salvation Army.

It can be seen as a sad indictment on today's society that those in need cannot fall back on the Government.

However, on the other hand organisations like the Sallies go out of their way to help them with little or no central government funding.

They do a fantastic job and deserve all the praise they get.

It makes me think, most of the people who need the food bank are on welfare, so surely they are not getting enough to put food on their tables?

Is that not the point of a welfare system; to help those who would otherwise have nothing?

So, if you see our volunteers out on the streets, please give generously because if the Government can't do the job it's up to us to make up the shortfall and help people in our community less well off than us.

That's what community is all about.