Editor's Note: How NPOs Saved Christmas

What Lucy handed over was a small orange coupon that her mother had detached from a display at the checkout counter, one that added an additional $3 to her order to benefit the Greater Philadelphia Food Bank. Despite my highly cynical state, that gesture felt like a mini-miracle of compassion that opened my eyes to the benevolence that was all around me. Suddenly, every shopping trip was soundtracked by the unmistakable ting-a-ling of the Salvation Army bell. I watched a convoy of decorated trucks pass with a mountain of toys en route to a radio station where Child Abuse Prevention Effort volunteers would ready them for distribution to kids in need of holiday kindness. I applauded when a group of teenage Scouts — urban kids with piercings and multi-hued mohawks — gave up a gorgeous day to serve meals to the elderly in conjunction with the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging.