Charity at Large.

They say charity begins at home, but I don't think it was ever meant to stay there, hiding out like a recluse. No, charity should get out more often, enjoy itself, mix and mingle, get to know the neighbors. What better time to help charity make the social circuit than during the holiday season?

Thoughts turn to charity at this time of year almost as naturally as the snows falls. This would explain the annual barrage of letters requesting it as soon as the weather turns chill. These letters don't require its presence, simply a donation, so they don't help charity get out of the house. However, they can stimulate interest. In this way they are an important exercise for charity and should be encouraged as a beginning step in the right direction.

Next, broaden your horizons by considering the local scene. Here you should really find some opportunities to get your charity out of the house and see what it can do. But don't send it out alone; take the whole family along. It's never too early to give charity a helping hand.

Not every opportunity that presents itself will be a good fit for your family's charity, but you'll never find out if you don't sample what's available. Our family, for example, brings our charity to dinner at our local halfway house. Once a month we like to cook dinner and eat with ex-convicts as part of a program that shows them the community cares about them and wants them to make a success of their reentry into society.

Maybe that opportunity isn't for you. Not to worry. There are a lot of others to help you find a perfect fit. Some questions you might ask yourself to help determine your family's area of interest are:

1. What services does our community or church provide that interest our family the most?

2. What safety issues will I confront at this service center? For example, in working with convicts or indigent people it is best to take precautions for the safety of your children. If they are particularly small, or the situation volatile, choose a safer outreach program.

3. Will my children be an asset to this program or will they get in the way? My friend Joanne finds that her 4- and 5-year-old children, Keith and Kendra, benefit tremendously from her work with Meals-on-Wheels. They help the cooks and give much-needed sunshine to the elderly and shut-in people on their route. "The program has taught them compassion," Joanne says.

4. What kind of preparation do I need to do before embarking on an outreach program? In a situation in which you will run into things your children might have questions about, it's best to brief them ahead of time. As long as you treat the subject forthrightly they should not be overly concerned about the things they see that they might not understand (wheelchairs, unsightly growths, disabilities, bad smells, etc.).

Chances are your charity will find a good home this holiday season. A word of warning though: once charity has had a taste of life on the outside it might not be content to stay at home. That's great! Continue to give your charity outings all through the year. Home is where the heart is. For charity it's only a base for operations.

Ten Charitable

Hot Spots Need some help finding a place that's perfect for your charity? Try one of these to get you jump-started:

* Food kitchen

* Elderly housing/apartments

* Homeless shelter 

* Hospital

* Correctional facility

* Meals-on-Wheels

* Halfway house

* Crisis pregnancy center 

* Nursing home

* Humane Society 

Celeste perrino Walker gets involved in charitable efforts from her home in Rutland, Vermont.