I took my two oldest nephews to the movie “Home Alone” when it was released in the theaters back in 1990. As their nanny in the summertime and frequent sitter at other times of the year, I figured the then-7-year-old and 5-year-old would get a kick out of watching the antics of little Kevin McCallister, whose parents accidentally left him by himself when they rest of the family traipsed off to Paris for a holiday vacation. I’ll never forget the way they sat in their seats at Cinema III theater in Norfolk, giggling as they watched a precocious 8-year-old get the best of a couple of cat burglars who call themselves the Wet Bandits. The memory of their laughter helped elevate that movie into the top spot of my Christmas must-sees. I now watch it every year. Recently, I saw that a social media personality had taken it upon himself to compare the price tag of Kevin’s Christmas eve shopping list to what those same items might cost today. My interest piqued at the idea. Of course prices have increased in the past 30 or so years, but I’ve noticed as of late that some of my own recent trips to the supermarket have nearly put me in debt. And after spending a good part of the past few weeks working with Allene Johnson, director of Good Neighbors of Norfolk, I’ve learned how crippling the cost of merely existing has become for so many. Good Neighbors is a charitable organization that helps those in need in the Norfolk area with food, as well as gifts to families with children who might not receive anything else at Christmastime. The program also helps with rent or utilities. The goal for this year’s annual drive — which provides the bulk of the program’s funding throughout the year — is $75,000. Johnson said the number of people helped by the program this Christmas jumped from 82 last year to 153 adults and 90 children this year. Only two names were found overlapping on the Good Neighbors’ and Salvation Army’s lists this year, a comparison the two organizations make to prevent doubling up on services. “I’m not surprised,” Johnson told me about the increase. “Our numbers at the (food) pantry have grown.” Johnson said the rising cost of food and other necessities has had a direct impact on the increase in need, which brings us back to the movie. In “Home Alone,” Kevin’s shopping list contains mostly staples for living: A half gallon of milk, a roll of plastic wrap, a Stouffer’s frozen turkey dinner, Snuggle dryer sheets, a loaf of Wonder Bread, a four-pack of Quilted Northern toilet paper, Kraft Mac & Cheese, Tide liquid laundry detergent, a half gallon of Tropicana orange juice (for which he had cut a $1 coupon from the morning’s newspaper) and a package of plastic army guys (for the kids). In 1990, the total for his list came up to $19.83. The social media personality who made the price comparison said the cost for the items is now about 3.5 times greater than it was when the movie came out. That put this year’s cost somewhere near $69.40. Curious about the accuracy of that increase, I spent a little time wandering store aisles to see if that was even close, but after seeing that the combined cost of plastic soldiers ($8.99) and Tide detergent (average $14.40.) alone surpassed the cost of the entire list in 1990, I gave up. As I returned to my vehicle, I grumbled under my breath about the current state of the economy and which politicians are at fault for this predicament. But as I sat in my car, my thoughts focused less on who’s to blame and instead settled on the folks with whom Johnson works on a regular basis, those who are worried about from where their next meal will come or whether they will be able to afford heat in January or February. I thought about people like “Pat,” who doesn’t want others to know how much she struggles to make ends meet while working full time and taking care of her ailing family members; for people like “Lisa,” who spends precious energy worrying about finances while terminal cancer is stealing her life; and Kevin and Rose, whose health issues haven’t allowed them to catch a good break for a long time. Throughout the course of my interviews with recipients of help from Good Neighbors, I was shocked to learn that one is someone I’ve mostly likely met as we have had mutual friends. For me, that drove home the point Johnson made earlier this year when she spoke about not knowing who might need help or when: “I’ve always said I could walk out and get hit by a car, and I’d be coming in here. That’s how fast things can change.” Looking at it from that perspective, the program’s worth and the importance of supporting it become obvious. If tomorrow I woke up with my life turned upside down, if one of my children or a loved one was in need, I’d be beyond grateful for whatever help I could find. I’d want someone to be my good neighbor, too. How to donate Donations to the Good Neighbors fund drive may be dropped off at the Daily News or sent to Good Neighbors, Box 1014, Norfolk, NE 68702.
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