Dear MODE Weekly (Formerly MODE Magazine),

Thank you for your comments in the Dec. 9 issue about yuppies who spend four hours once a year helping the less fortunate souls of the world (also known as the great unwashed), and then very publicly congratulating themselves for it. I work for a [high-profile] organization (OMITTED) in Central PA, and I guarantee you, we are very much aware of the situation you wrote about. Personally, I don’t find anything especially heartening about handing out food at a pantry or serving a meal at a soup kitchen. I actually find it rather depressing. All it does is drive home the reality of overwhelming inequities in this country. Besides, it’s not supposed to be about the person doing the serving. It is supposed to be about the people who have to get their damned meals, holiday or otherwise, at a soup kitchen.

OK, maybe I’m ranting now, but I just get really annoyed at the exact same thing you get annoyed at — yuppie dilletantes. Your point about the problems faced by shelters, soup kitchens, and pantries during the rest of the year is really important. It’s one many people don’t think about. During November and December we, and our agencies, are overrun by volunteer groups looking for something to do. The rest of year, many of our agencies struggle to find the money to pay their bills, and to find the bodies needed to keep their programs running. Hunger doesn’t take a holiday, dammit. (Not original, but true.)

Maybe I expect too much. Altruism is rare. It’s probably too much to expect people to perform charitable acts and not get anything out of it, but I thought that is what charity is all about.

Please sign this e-mail anonymous, though. It wouldn’t be good to have (OMITTED) employees busting off about the questionable motivations of some of our volunteers and the volunteers of our member agencies.