Economic Stimulus Checks: Who are we stimulating?

We'll soon be enjoying the fruits of the Economic Stimulus Act as bonus checks fly into our mailboxes. Extra cash will be a windfall for some taxpayers treating themselves to luxuries like flat screen TV's. Yet what could it mean for a food insecure senior, a teenager too hungry to concentrate on exams, or someone without a home?

This money could be used for a different kind of stimulus. We could increase its benefit by donating it to organizations that stimulate the economic growth of people in need. It would be a win for everyone because the economy would be stimulated as money is spent by the org, neighbors would be helped at a desperate economic time, and donors would receive write-offs for charitable contributions. Food banks, Bottomless Closet, and literacy programs are a few of many kinds of groups that help people in poverty improve their ability to support themselves.

Challenge yourself to consider whether you truly need the stimulus package check. If you do, use it in good health! But if you don't, please consider putting this money in part or whole where it can stimulate the part of the economy that needs it the most.