Have you ever had hunger pangs so bad you could cry? Have you ever looked at your children and despaired of finding the next meal, a warm coat or how you’re going to find them a pair of shoes that fit? Have you ever gone without in order to feed your family?

Times are hard. With the current state of the economy, it doesn’t look like things will get much better, and there are many people wondering where the next meal is coming from. Parents lie awake at night despairing, sleepless and desperate, unable to provide a holiday for their children. Losing a job or even a cut in hours can make the difference between survival and homelessness. Fear is an uneasy bed partner.

One special person has seen this need in her community and is determined to make a difference. Vanessa Santiago has seen hard times, has suffered from the same kind of circumstances. She has said in her darkest times there have been helping hands from loving people, and she wants to pay it forward so that other families find the same kind of succor that she received when she needed it the most. To that end, she has formed “Vinnie’s Hope”, a non-profit organization that provides holiday baskets to families needing a kind hand in a dark hour.

Over the last two years, she has provided, at her own expense, food baskets for those in need including complete dinners. She has enlisted the help of the Hyannis Fire Department, as well as friends and family members to store, shop, and deliver much-needed supplies to families, single parents and children who would have otherwise been forgotten and would have gone without. Imagine the look on the children’s faces when their holiday meal is delivered on a shiny red fire engine.

It started when Vanessa went shopping, buying two of everything, giving half of it away. She says, “I am only as strong as the person standing next to me. I can’t change the world, but I can change my world. If I have a dollar, that means I have fifty cents and you have fifty cents. It pains me to see other people suffer.”

Times are hard. Over the last decades, the spirit of community has waned, and we, as a people, have suffered for it. Hilary Rodham Clinton said, “It takes a village to raise a child,” and no matter what you might think of her politics, this statement gets right to the heart of the decline of our society. We do not stand alone – and the only way we will find our way out of the economic disaster that has hit our country is to pull together as a community.

For two years, Vanessa has lived this philosophy. She wants to make a difference; she wants to ease the suffering of children who are crying from hunger in our own neighborhood; she wants to ease the stress of parents who don’t have the resources to provide their children with a holiday dinner; a hot meal; warm clothing. She has given of herself and her own resources to make this a reality for many families, but she wants to do more. She can’t do it alone.

If you have anything extra to spare – be it clothing, food, time or money – won’t you please make a donation to this worthy cause? No donation is too small, and everything is gratefully appreciated. Have you ever been in dire straits and received a smile, a monetary gift with no strings attached or an unexpected helping hand? Maybe it was something small, but it made all the difference, something you had no way, at the time, of repaying? Now is your chance to pay it forward, to someone who needs the hope and help to make it one more day…one more Thanksgiving…one more winter.

The holidays can be very rough, especially for those in need. Many people have had to cut back on their lifestyle and make some major adjustments. But there is no reason any child should not have the basics – food, shelter & clothing. You can make a difference for a child. You can show them there is hope and love, and that they are not alone in their struggle. You can show them that even in the darkest of moments, there are people that care, people that want to make a difference. You can be one of those people.

The need right now is urgent for Christmas and Easter food baskets. Complete dinners are assembled for families who would otherwise have nothing. All applicants for aid are screened, so you can rest assured your donations are going toward deserving families that have just fallen on hard times.

Please, click HERE to contact Vanessa and make a donation. No matter what amount, it will go to people who need to see the light of love and hope. It will go to a child who otherwise would have nothing in a country of so much. If you have time or material things to donate, please contact Vinnie’s Hope and they will make arrangements to pick up your donations or tell you what you can do to help.

Yes, times are hard. You yourself may have suffered from difficult times, but none of us are so far removed from the specter of poverty that we can ignore the cries for help from our neighbors. Someday you may need a helping hand from someone who cares. Maybe you have already benefited from a hand of hope – now is your chance to pay it forward. Please, call or email today to make a donation.

Make the choice that will make the difference.

This article was contributed by Annetta Ribken, a compassionate writer who has seen her own share of “not-so-easy” situations in her life, and has also done her best to overcome in spite of all adversity.