'Tis the season to be broke.
College students and U.S. citizens are feeling the pinch of the unpredictable economy.
It's likely your shopping list includes more items than you can afford and you're number crunching how you'll be able to buy the perfect gifts.
And then there are the bell ringers.
Standing outside in the bitter cold, wind and snow just trying to get some change for those less fortunate this time of year.
We know you feel that twinge of guilt as you pass by, hiding your face in a scarf and trying to avoid eye contact.
They don't have the plague, and you most certainly won't catch any kind of disease from donating a few dollars or cents to a worthy cause.
Unless you count feeling good about life a disease.
Toss some change in, it's good for the soul.
You could even be bold and give a few greenbacks to them. Just give up a soda, cup of coffee or a beer for one day and the potential financial crisis is avoided.
If donating material items is more up your ally, Ball State University has options for you.
Ball State Department of Women's Studies is accepting donations that will be given to single-parent students this winter.
Donations are being accepted through 5 p.m. Dec. 12 and students are encouraged to donate anything from art and school supplies to toys for newborns through teenagers.
Student Voluntary Services is also working to help Muncie-area children have better holiday seasons. Students can select from 175 children to give three gifts. Gifts must be taken to L.A. Pittenger Student Center Room 118 by Monday.
However, we know you have more to offer society than money and material gifts.
Volunteering is one of the best ways students can give back to the Muncie community, or their hometowns for that matter, because it's free.
All you have to do is sacrifice a few hours of your time and you can not only brighten someone's day, but you get the satisfaction of knowing you helped out your fellow man. Or woman.
A welcome side effect of volunteering your time is the warm fuzzy feeling you get inside from doing something good for someone.
Another benefit is a distraction from typical collegiate life and the day-to-day stressors we encounter.
It's nearly impossible to focus on your inability to decide what to do after graduation while volunteering at a daycare center or soup kitchen. A tremendous amount of perspective can be gained by directly helping someone in need and seeing the gratitude on their faces.
Volunteering to help someone less fortunate is the best way to remind yourself of what's truly important in life; family, friends and helping people out when you can, while you can.
You never know if one day you could be on the other side of the line at the soup kitchen.
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