Giving 'til it hurts can feel great

In an argument between billionaires, Mark Cuban once declared his bank account was far fatter than Donald Trump’s. He could write a bigger check than Trump could, Cuban claimed — and not even know it was missing.

Make no mistake, wealthy people can be extraordinarily generous. Countless nonprofits and other folks in need would be utterly lost without the massive and wisely targeted donations that profoundly affect society.

But if you can write a huge check and not even miss the money in the least, that might not mark the ceiling of true generosity. Those who have little and give up some of that? That's generous.

How many of you remember trick-or-treating for Unicef, basically freezing your keester off in the dark, knocking on strangers’ doors and asking for a coin or two to help fill your little Unicef box? If that wasn’t generosity, we don’t know what is.

And now, the folks at Orchard Ridge are reminding us again what giving is all about.

Last week, low-income residents of The Grove Apartments at Orchard Ridge were featured in a delightful story by Bill Buley headlined, “Chronic do-gooders deliver.” In this case, folks pitched in what they could to buy sports drinks for the men and women risking their lives fighting forest fires in the region.

No strangers to generosity, the do-gooders gathered up about $200 — an amount that many of you reading this editorial could afford without losing too much sleep or missing too many meals. But to the Orchard Ridge crew, you’d better believe they felt the pinch — and rejoiced in the feeling that comes from helping someone who needs it.

As has been chronicled relentlessly in this newspaper over the years, we live in an area not just of abundance, but of abundant kindness and generosity. Donations of many thousands and, in some cases, even millions of dollars have been reported, often enough that it doesn't carry the impact of truly rare events.

But as we see when we're looking closely, sometimes those with the least really do give the most.

Friends at The Grove Apartments, bless you.