When did giving to charity become mandatory?

Friday, August 15. 2008

When did giving to charity become mandatory?

I read a letter from a fellow magazine reader stating that Jordan (aka Katie Price) shouldn’t buy her daughter Princess countless pairs of shoes and should, instead, donate all her spare cash to charity.

Why should she? It’s her money, after all, and if she wants to buy her daughter hundreds of shoes, then that’s her prerogative surely?

I was in a queue in Bracknell recently and someone came along with a tin collecting for a children’s charity.

The woman in front of me advised she didn’t have any change and the “charity” volunteer tutted, giving the woman a filthy look.

I thought charity was about giving if you can and if you wanted to.

When did it become about having to and if you don’t or can’t, you’re made to feel like the lowest of the low?

Unfortunately, unless you’re the Beckhams, you can’t give to every single charity, so you do have to pick the ones closer to your heart; cancer research, Salvation Army and dog rescue, if you’re interested.

For the rest, you bite your lip, lower your eyes and walk past the man collecting for disabled kids in Sainsbury's Bagshot Road or the elderly lady collecting for cerebral palsy in Tesco Martins Heron entrance.

If you don’t look up then you won’t catch the eye of the stranger who can make you feel guilty and ashamed with one sympathetic cock of his head.

But why should you feel guilty? If you feel strongly enough to donate money to a charity then you will right?

When did not giving to charities become frowned upon?

Posted by Nicola Chalk in I like Bracknell.. at 09:55 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

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I get annoyed going through Bracknell to shop and there are people trying to stop you asking you to donate a monthly/weekly amount to shelter or some other charity. I agree with Nicola you can only give where you can - there are far too many charities and you have to chose those that are closest to your heart

#1 Janet on 2008-08-25 12:06 (Reply)

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