The recent opening of the emergency homeless shelter in Merritt, the continued service of the Soup Bowl, and help to struggling Haitians is quite enough to show that the religious left and humanitarian groups are still in touch with their altruistic roots.

These days, we hear much about the religious right and it's mostly negative. Accusations are often leveled against them about what many say is their unfettered support for war and partisan politics, but what can be said against those who provide for the sick, homeless, and uneducated?

It is uplifting to see genuine acts of selflessness. Religious groups got together in Merritt before Christmas to make sure that the homeless, estimated by some to be near 50 persons, had a warm and comfortable place to sleep and a meal for at least one day of the week.

The backbone of the community seems to be those groups that give.

The Nicola Valley and District Food Bank, the Soup Bowl program, ASK Wellness’s Shelter From the Storm, Operation Christmas Child, and the Rotary ShelterBox, to name a few, are what makes Merritt and communities like it, a nice place to live.

The help has come from these groups, despite the recession, despite government sometimes ignoring the issue, and despite the selfish human spirit that lives in all of us at times.

Regardless of why people are homeless or in an unfortunate situation, it is certainly a triumph of the human spirit when others reach out in support and try to give people a chance to turn things around or just to be there for comfort.

The same can be said for the various religious and humanitarian groups also reaching out a hand in earthquake-ravaged Haiti and many other countries around the world plagued by famines, droughts, and poverty. The help has gone on for many years without all that much recognition. Those helping are not complaining. They aren’t looking for recognition but just looking to give.

Helping is what Canadians are known for. It’s what keeps us strong. A nation is only as strong as its weakest, and if you can’t take care of your own, how can you expect to take care of others?

The help I have seen offered in Merritt, during my 14 months living here, is not simply a hand out, but a truly sincere and selfless expression of charity and kindness.

The helping spirit of Merritt is probably the one thing Merrittonians should be most proud of and is what really puts this town on the map.

— John O'Connor