In the wake of the news coming out of New Orleans in September, one could only hope that those images of hungry and thirsty, exhausted and ill, very young and frail elderly, homeless and heartsick Americans would remain in people's minds as the year turned toward winter and residents of every state experienced those same conditions.

At this time of year, when people of many faiths are celebrating the founding or survival of their religion, it's important to remember the messages of their teachings: to do good deeds to fellow human beings, to be mindful of human suffering in the world, to treat people as you would want to be treated. Turkey baskets and boxes of toys for low-income families are a good marker of the generous spirit of this holiday season, but it's even more important to keep those families in mind throughout the winter months by donating to groups who are serving the needs of the hungry, the homeless, the shivering, and the fearful.

If you're feeling too strapped to contribute right now, do it in January, February, or March. If you can't donate money, donate your time. Or drop off winter clothing, personal hygiene products or other crucial items to local shelters. Or organize your church, synagogue, or community center to provide emergency shelter for homeless families and individuals this winter.

How do we in Rhode Island decide which group or groups to zero in on? That probably comes down to what issue or concern hits you most in your heart, whether you've known someone who was helped by a specific agency, or whether you have experienced a need that was met by a particular organization. Following are merely a few personal suggestions for helping out Rhode Islanders in need of food, shelter, warmth and family support:

At CROSSROADS RI (160 Broad Street, Providence, 401.521.2255, crossroadsri.org), an agency which sees the vast majority of homeless people in the state, according to president Ann Nolan, the statistics are drastic. The numbers from October 2005 - 24 families and 200 individuals new to homelessness in that month alone - indicate a 64 percent increase over October 2004.

"The number of homeless individuals is clearly higher this year than we've ever seen before," Nolan stressed. "In the past three years, we have, by the end of January, found that we have no more space in our shelter system, and then we ask our community of faith to provide overflow space. This year, we had to ask in September, the first time we've done that.

"Grace Church and Temple Emmanuel have both opened," she continued, "but even with that, we have two families who are sleeping in our community room. All shelters are filled. We're now seeing 100 men at the overflow shelter [meant to hold 80] and winter hasn't even hit yet."

Nolan is particularly concerned because Crossroads hasn't yet had people come in who have lost their homes because they couldn't pay their heating bills. The economic squeeze on a not-for-profit agency like Crossroads is causing them to seriously consider closing some of their programs. Citizens Bank currently has collection cans at its teller stations to raise money to pay heating and lighting bills at shelters.

"People in the world responded so positively to the tragedy of Katrina - they were amazingly moved and incredibly generous," Nolan reflected. "Unfortunately, every day, we are having a Katrina in Rhode Island on a very small scale. Instead of tens of thousands, we're seeing one or two families with no place to go. The Katrina response, as wonderful as it was - we wish that people in this state knew that we need their help."

The oft-heard phrase about homelessness being just one paycheck away can be related to the illness of a child keeping the bread-winner at home, the illness of the bread-winner herself or himself, the breakdown of a vehicle to get to a job, the breakdown of the structure of the family (domestic violence or sexual abuse), or the inability to pay high rent and increasing utility bills. To hold off an economic crisis, families may apply for emergency heating assistance through the federal program called LIHEAP at the Community Action Programs throughout the state or at the Salvation Army offices if they do are not income-eligible for the LIHEAP program. In addition, the DIOCESE OF PROVIDENCE (184 Broad Street, Providence, 401.421.7833 x 107, www.dioceseofprovidence.org) has stated that they will match $75,000 in private donations this winter to provide emergency funds for heating assistance. The GEORGE WILEY CENTER (32 East Avenue, Pawtucket, 401.728.5555, www.georgewileycenter.org) is working to change the whole system of low-income families paying for utilities. By organizing citizens to speak about their situation to local and state officials, the Wiley Center helps people to help themselves, offering them empowerment through discussions with utility officials rather than embarrassment through repeated handouts.

Headed for their 25th anniversary in January, the Wiley Center has proposed a state legislative revival of PIP (Percentage of Income Program) that existed in the late '80s. Wiley coordinator Henry Shelton explained that median-income residents spend approximately 5.3 percent of their income on utilities, while some of the elderly poor pay up to 25 percent and some low-income families up to 50 percent. The PIP system would put in place a 6 percent-of-income plan.

"We've been talking to Exxon-Mobil to release some of those excess profits into an ongoing PIP program," Shelton mentioned. "Plus, the oil companies should tithe 10 percent that could go back to help other people. Four million would equal $400,000. We're suggesting a Rhode Island PIP would cost $25 million and affect 30,000 households, but it's justice, not charity."

In its previous incarnation, PIP was funded primarily through federal grants, but those have all been cut, and Shelton's emphasis is that it must be funded this time on the state and private-donor level to keep it going. He cited the statistic of mothers on welfare currently living at 40-42 percent of the federal poverty level and a federal report noting that anything below 50 percent is considered "extreme." By that standard, according to Shelton, all Rhode Island children on welfare are in extreme poverty.

At the RI COMMUNITY FOOD BANK (200 Niantic Avenue, Providence, 401.942.6325, www.rifoodbank.org), food donations are down from major companies such as Shaw's and Stop & Shop, according to director Bernie Beaudreau. The salvaged boxes and cans that the Food Bank has received in the past made up 30-40 percent of the shelf staples, but that has declined over the past two years. Beaudreau notes that the companies are selling the food they used to donate to keep up with the competition of the "superstores."

To serve the 51,000 people per month who get food through its 430 outlets, the Food Bank has had to cut back on the amount of food per person. And this comes at a time when Congress is threatening to cut the federal food stamp program.

"It's been such a dramatic year in terms of natural disasters and with the cost of energy going way up," Beaudreau pointed out, "that there have simply been fewer donations. Katrina took a lot of money out of the donor pocketbooks, but I think people are bouncing back, and we really need them to, because the need has grown."

Directly after the holidays, domestic violence often spikes, according to Karen Jeffreys, director of communications at the RI COALITION ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE (422 Post Road, Suite 202, Warwick, 401.467.9940, www.ricadv.org. In 2004, they served more than 17,000 victims through court advocacy, support groups, clinical services, and children's services, plus answering almost 19,000 hotline calls and racking up 27,488 shelter nights.

"There's been a big shift in the 10 years that I've been here," Jeffreys said. "We've realized we needed to be out there in the community, and we've tried to reach out to communities of color, the elderly, the disabled, the LGBTQ community, everyone who needs us."

In a similar vein, the SEXUAL ASSAULT AND TRAUMA RESOURCE CENTER (300 Richmond Street, Suite 205, Providence, 401.421.4100, www.satrc.org) served 12,000 individuals last year, 60 percent of whom were children. One of its programs, the RI CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY CENTER, is geared specifically toward children. Any child who is counseled at the Advocacy Center receives a new teddy bear or other stuffed animal, so donations of those are always welcome. With the unsettling statistic that 1 in 5 children will be the victim of sexual abuse before the age of 18 (1 in 4 girls, 1 in 6 boys), it's crucial to keep this important non-profit program alive and well. The SATRC has a 24-hour hotline for victims of any crime: 800.494.8100.

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