Treasurer’s Report (I’d like to see)

“People don’t show in financial statements.”  The old Treasurer looked at the assembled charity Board.  “You see a building and salaries, but not the people.  When I address you every year, I usually talk about the leaky roof or the aging boiler, our declining reserves and how expenses have gone up more than revenues.  And then, somehow we limp through to another year.  As I prepared the budget this year, I asked myself why we do it, why we keep hanging on.”

He paused.

“That’s when it struck me:  the people who aren’t in the budget.

“You see, my son drives two hours to volunteer at the Christmas dinner with me.  It’s a family tradition.  And this year, he’s bringing his daughter along.  He learned about taking responsibility here and he wants to pass on the lesson.  My neighbour’s boy has been teaching other kids how to read here and you know what?  Helping someone else made his English mark go up.  A lot.  As I look around, I see so many friendships that were formed and strengthened under this leaky old roof.

“It’s worth it.  The time and effort we put into construction so many years ago.  The time spent cooking meals, mending mattresses, finding food donors, negotiating with building inspectors and serving our clients.  It’s not just about bringing sustenance to people who can’t afford to feed themselves, it’s also about this community.  It’s not about us helping them.  It’s all of us helping each other.

“I used to be so damn proud of this place.   Let’s face it.  The old girl’s looking pretty tired.  And yet, if we closed up tomorrow, there would be editorials in the newspaper about what a shame it is we left.  People would be asking us what happened.  So let’s build a legacy, a place where our grandchildren can learn the joys of giving and receiving, a place where they can experience community.”

The budget was passed unanimously.