A good job provided security for the young man whose life seemed to be going well. How could he have imagined the crisis that lay ahead, when he would become not only unemployed but also dependent on charity.

His mother became ill. He alone could care for her. And the story only begins there.

The situation for this afflicted Natchez family would be dire indeed were it not for funds set up a century ago by Agnes Carpenter to found Associated Charities.

Agencies such as Associated Charities work to assist needy people the year around. Starting at about Thanksgiving weekend and continuing into the Christmas season, however, giving and receiving increase.

Do needs increase during the holiday season? Do those able to give want to give more then?

The Rev. LeRoy White of Natchez said the season does indeed seem to bring about increased desire to help others.

&uot;People at Advent season want to give more. It seems to move to the forefront of people’s minds,&uot; said White, pastor of Clarmount and Mount Plain Baptist churches in Natchez and Zion Hill Baptist Church in Concordia Parish.

&uot;God gave us life and gave us His son. It’s compassion time. People begin to think, ‘I have clothes that I won’t wear anymore. I have things I can give.’&uot;

In turn, the neediest people seem less reluctant to come forward during the season celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. &uot;They know people have the heart to give at this time of year.&uot;

White said the Bible is filled with directions about giving to the less fortunate. &uot;And with the economic situation we have now in Southwest Mississippi and across in Louisiana, we need to give as much as we can.&uot;

He referred to a passage in Luke, which tells the followers of Christ that much is required of the one to whom much is given.

&uot;God blesses us not to keep it but to pass it on,&uot; White aid. &uot;And he said that if we love Him, we ought to love others who are less fortunate than we are.&uot;

The Rev. Robert Cade of Word of Faith Christian Center agreed, saying the season brings forth the tradition of giving especially in light of God’s giving to them.

&uot;The ultimate sacrifice was what Christ did, to give his life,&uot; Cade said. &uot;God put us in a position to dominate the earth and to be productive people.

&uot;We should pour out all we have and leave the world empty, giving the best we have to society. We should be active in society and bloom where we’re planted.&uot;

Cade said giving is more than about opening one’s pocketbook. &uot;Your time, your energy, yourself &045;&045; those are the more difficult, more important things to give,&uot; he said.

Robert Joseph knows about helping the needy. As chairman of the board for Associated Charities, he has worked one on one with some of the neediest families in the area.

&uot;We do it year around,&uot; he said. &uot;We provide food, clothes and medications for people who can’t afford those things.&uot;

With the announcement by United Way of the Greater Miss-Lou that all agencies would take a cut this year, Joseph and others are ready to dig deeper and work through the decrease in funding.

&uot;No one has told us yet how much the decrease will be,&uot; he said. &uot;But with IP gone, losing those workers and the company’s donation to United Way, it is drastic.&uot;

Churches have funds to help people through difficult times, White said.

&uot;We have a benevolent fund. All churches do,&uot; he said. &uot;We can be a tremendous help. We just need for people to come out and say, ‘I’m in need.’&uot;