Homelessness. Crisis. Loneliness. Poverty. When you work at the Marshall County Attorney’s Office, these are the challenges you encounter every day.

A critical witness can’t be located because, after couch-surfing for months, they’re now sleeping in the back of a car. A domestic abuse victim is pinching every penny to pay rent and put food on the table. Someone’s son is in jail instead of a hospital following a mental health crisis. To be a prosecutor is to face not only justice and injustice but to be airdropped into the minefield of our society’s problems.

Last year I was asked to consider serving on the Marshalltown Area United Way’s Board of Directors. Having an idea of who United Way was and what they did, I was intrigued. I’d scoured their website on countless occasions to identify programs that can lend a helping hand to the people we serve in the criminal justice system. I knew it was a worthy cause and a force for good in our community. What I didn’t know or grasp was the scope and impact of Marshalltown Area United Way upon this community.

I said yes and jumped in.

It’s been a minute since I’ve been the new guy at something, so I used the first few meetings as opportunities to get to know United Way as well as the staff, volunteers, and my fellow Board members. I wanted my experience on the Board of Directors to be meaningful, so I signed up for whatever I could. We sweat out the annual summer golf event with volunteers from Iowa River Hospice. We served barbecue ribs at the campaign kickoff in September. We walked the streets at Oktemberfest to spread the word about United Way. I wrote, called, and met with potential donors to share all the good accomplished through the programs supported by United Way funding.

The funding campaign came to an end, and it was time to make decisions at allocations.

Allocations hit different. Allocations was a gut punch right in the feels. At allocations, Board members meet with local service organizations seeking financial support through United Way before making important decisions about funding. It’s a chance for service organizations to put their best foot forward in seeking United Way support. For Board members, it’s an opportunity to dig deep into how United Way’s partner agencies serve as champions for people in Marshall County.

We received stories of seniors who enjoyed living independently in their homes with the help of meal delivery. We felt the passion of program directors who put sweat equity into building and cultivating community for those living with disabilities. We heard stories of sacrifices made by staff and volunteers to provide a warm place and encouraging community during Christmas, which is a lonely season for many. The helpers in our community shared stories of how their programs brought a homeless family in from the cold, accepted walk-in patients in the midst of a mental health crisis, and built-up young people preparing for leadership.

My words don’t do the experience justice. It was moving and powerful. It was the kind of experience that resonates. I still encounter homelessness, crisis, loneliness, and hunger in the criminal justice system, but the experience at allocations revealed the scope and depth of United Way’s impact in seeking solutions. The programs supported by United Way make a real impact right here, and it’s only possible because of the generosity of this community.

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday is a natural expression and extension of Thanksgiving. At Thanksgiving we get to share, reflect upon, and enjoy the things and people for which we have gratitude. The wonderful thing about gratitude is that it has the power to transform our hearts and minds from thinking about our mental, emotional, and material resources in terms of scarcity and instead consider them as being plentiful. It’s an opportunity to remind ourselves that our cup overflows. That’s where Giving Tuesday can be truly meaningful. Every gift can mean freedom for someone living in poverty, homelessness, or without community. Every gift possesses the power to transform.

When we give freely and cheerfully, we also receive a valuable gift. We experience the gift of freedom from our possessions. When we use our gifts to empower others, we take power away from the things seeking to overpower us.

As Giving Tuesday approaches, I hope you consider making a donation to a cause that is meaningful to you. Give freely and cheerfully to the cause that speaks to your heart.

Don’t do it for the tax benefit. Don’t do it because you’re reading a column about giving. Do it because our community needs it. Do it because we lift each other up in Marshall County. Do it because you’re ready for your gift to transform lives.

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Jordan Gaffney is the Marshall County Attorney

nd a member of the Marshalltown Area United Way

Board of Directors.