As the winter season depends, and the parade of holidays continues, many people find themselves in a more charitable frame of mind. Nothing puts us in the mood for helping others than short days, long nights and strings of lights glinting from nearby houses. But this year, among the usual patter of coat drives and camaraderie, Marion resident Davin Alves stood out.

            His target was United Way of Greater New Bedford’s Hunger Commission, a charity that runs initiatives like can and toy drives for those members of our community that might need support, particularly around the holidays.

            Rather than go the usual route knocking on neighbors’ doors or setting up a donation box, a tried-and-tested method to be sure but one that is already done by countless nonprofits, schools and libraries alike, Davin decided to hold a raffle and use the money raised from tickets to purchase the food himself.

            The raffle prizes were two video-game systems, a $100 Target gift card and a 750 ml bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label scotch whiskey. In the spirit of the season, Davin received help from his whole family, particularly when it came to purchasing the food and driving the donations to the bank. After all, Davin is only 10 years old.

            Victoria Grasela, vice president of marketing and community engagement at United Way, said she was thrilled by the idea and provided some guidance on what items they were looking for in particular. She said she was thrilled when Davin’s mother, Kathylee Alves, reached out with the idea.

            “He’s such a genuine kid,” Grasela said, a sentiment echoed by his mother who described him as having a “heart of gold.” Grasela said she was additionally blown away by the raffle’s success.

            “I expected maybe a box full of food,” she said, referencing the photos shared by Kathylee Alves, depicting Davin sitting on his front porch, dwarfed by pallets of food. “When they showed up with two car-fulls, I was shocked.”

            Kathylee Alves described the logistics of totaling up the purchases, as they went through the store and the challenge of getting it all transported there. “We had it in a trailer, like a big, enclosed trailer,” she chuckled. Eventually, they decided the best way to transport it was two separate cars, loaded down with the cumulation of their good deeds.

            While Davin went above and beyond, Victoria Grasela emphasized that anyone can get involved at any level they feel comfortable. Donating goes a long, long way, no matter the amount.

            “Even when it comes to writing a check, we can take that money you donated and the bit that someone else donated and another person and put it all together,” she explained. They also negotiate bulk purchases as directly as they can to get the best deal possible and stretch what they have to its potential.

            Davin’s total haul rang in at $900, a hefty amount for anyone to raise, particularly on a first-ever try. But the praise doesn’t seem to have gone to his head in the slightest, as his message for the world was a brief but touching one.

            “I just want (people) to know that kindness is the most important thing. Especially for a holiday, that’s like … so good, and everyone wants to be happy, so like you have to do something kind for it!”

            Davin also expressed big plans for the future, intending to make this a yearly effort since it was such a resounding success. When not doing charity work, Davin said he enjoys playing with his friends and reiterated one final time that “kindness matters.”

            Those looking to donate or get involved in other ways can check out VolunteerSouthCoast.org, a site run by United Way to help keep the community informed about volunteer initiatives and opportunities.

By Jack MC Staier

            I received four books this past Christmas. They are sitting on the table next to my recliner, next to the two unfinished ones I received the previous Christmas. Okay, so, I’m a slow reader.

            I like to read but after 20 minutes, I am sound asleep. Zonked. Out like a light.

            I prefer nonfiction. Not those how-to books or cookbooks or “Computers for Dummies,” though I did finish that one. I’m beginning to wonder if I should start reading action-adventure novels. I hate action-adventure novels.

            I have reread so many books I’ve lost count. By the time I pick up a book again, I have forgotten what it was about and have to start over from the beginning. That’s when I realized I didn’t like the book in the first place. When my bride and I retired and downsized to a smaller house, we gave away over 700 books. Probably about half were unfinished … by me. I’d like to know how they ended.

            I like the feel of a good book. I like turning the pages. I like the smell. I like to use the dust jacket folded over as a bookmark, but when I wake up it has slipped out, and I have no idea where I was. I must start over again, and it becomes a vicious circle of reading, dozing, reading … well, you know.

            I bought one of those e-book readers. I thought having a bright light shining in my face constantly might keep me awake. It worked for a while. I managed to stay awake long enough to actually finish a book or two, but I soon realized that it was much too easy to just slide my finger across the screen and within a few seconds a new one would magically appear, 20 bucks instantly vanishing into cyberspace (I learned that word in the “Computers for Dummies” book.) Borrowing a book from a library is better, but I can never seem to finish it by the time it has to be returned.

            Our son was a good reader when he was young. Still is. He taught himself how to read by about four years of age. By the time he was eight or nine, he had read all the classics, “Treasure Island,” “Last of the Mohegans,” “Tom Sawyer.” One time we peeked into his room after bedtime, and we could see the glow of a flashlight under his bedcovers. He was reading “Oliver Twist.” Books didn’t put him asleep. He even read “Moby Dick.” I fell asleep on that by the end of the first chapter.

            I misspent much of my youth in our town library pretending to do homework. Occasionally, though, I’d have to finger the card catalogue, searching for something for a school book report and run across an interesting title that looked worth reading. I’d end up finishing the book but not the book report. I must have picked up my love of books nestled amongst those stacks.

            My son gave me a book this Christmas that is so big and heavy, 827 pages and 5 pounds. The type is so tiny that I will need a magnifying glass. I’ll be sure to put one on next year’s Christmas list. I think I’ll put that book at the bottom of the pile. By the time I get to read it, I’ll be so old and unable to see the type I’ll have an excuse not to read it. If my son asks if I read it, I’ll say “It was heavy reading, man.” (Is that too ’70s?)

            My New Year’s resolution is to finish all of these books on the table next to my recliner and the dozens of others on the shelves in the den.

            I read somewhere that if you read before you fall asleep you wake up smarter. Boy, I must be really smart. George R.R. Martin the novelist said, “Sleep is good … books are better.” I’ll let you know if that’s true if I can ever finish one.

            Editor’s note: Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and retired newspaper columnist whose musings are, after some years, back in The Wanderer under the subtitle “Thoughts on ….” Morgado’s opinions have also appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.

By Dick Morgado