NATCHEZ — National statistics quickly confirm what Katherine Killelea already knows.

Killelea, a matriarch of one of the area’s biggest Christmas charities, said it’s not hard to open wallets and hearts in the Miss-Lou.

“When they see a need, they will come to the rescue,” she said.

And Mississippi IRS statistics organized by the Catalogue for Philanthropy prove that Natchez is part of a statewide trend.

The national group tracks charitable giving per capita and by income.

“(Stats) tell us that the folks as a state give beyond what their ranking is in their ability to give,” Catalogue for Philanthropy spokesperson Marty Cohn said. “They give about what they can which makes them a generous state.”

The data is compiled into the Generosity Index, in which Mississippi has ranked No. 1 for years.

“I think the folks in Mississippi can take pride in the fact that they are definitely understanding the need of those less fortunate,” Cohn said.

For the nine years the Generosity Index was conducted, Mississippi had the top ranking for all but two years in which it fell to No. 2.

Louisiana wavered in the top 10 for all nine years.

It was that kind of generosity locally that United Way Chairman Mike Gemmell noticed.

“I have been impressed by the per capita money that folks with less give,” Gemmell said. “Folks at the lower ends (of the economic spectrum) are our major donors.”

That’s not to say that the rich aren’t donating.

“There is one man who gives $5,000 and challenges other people to match it,” Gemmell said.

“I am surprised at the high level of charity in people’s actions.”

Likewise, when the Natchez food pantry was in danger of closing because its costs were more than the United Way could afford earlier this year, the Isle of Capri stepped in and donated $10,000 to keep the pantry open until Catholic Charities could take it over.

“(Isle General Manager) Tony Scudiero deserves all of the credit for that,” Gemmell said. “He asked how much (was needed) and signed a check.”

And all of that money makes a difference.

“Without our donors, we wouldn’t be able to operate,” Adams County Red Cross Director Angie Brown said.

But it’s not just money that people give.

“I think that probably the kindest thing that people have done for us in the past is to volunteer their time,” Brown said. “We cannot operate without our volunteers — they are the heart of our organization.”

Those volunteers have made a difference in a lot of ways, from stepping up and taking a significant part in coordinating Red Cross efforts during Hurricane Gustav to staffing the Red Cross office and making sure things ran smoothly when Brown had to take time off to care for a family member.

“(They) just jumped right in and did a fabulous job for us,” Brown said.

Sometimes, though, it’s not just a few individuals but the entire community who make a charitable cause work — at least, that was the conclusion that Killelea came to after years of working with the Children’s Christmas Tree Fund.

“It took all of Natchez to make (the) tree,” Killelea said. It was the people of Natchez who gave the money and supported the tree. They just came through because they wanted to help the children.

“This is the way life should be.”