Blessing America by Helping Others

America needed help after declaring independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. France, Spain, and the Netherlands all provided aid, helping the new America win the War of Independence and secure its independence from Great Britain.

Given this history, it makes sense to celebrate America’s birthday by helping other nations in need. In fact, American generosity is a tradition we should uphold.

One of the most inspiring stories of American generosity dates back to 1944, during the trauma of World War II. American soldiers were fighting to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany. At home, Americans were helping other countries through the National War Fund. Starving children in Norway, France, Yugoslavia and Italy were fed through donations from the fund.

In 1944, ticket sales from 16 major league games raised more than $300,000 for the National War Fund and the Red Cross, a huge amount at the time.

“These funds will assist in the mission of mercy throughout the world, in aiding our fighting men and our allies, the poor and helpless at home, and in countless other tasks in these troubled times,” Edward L. Ryerson of the National War Fund said in a 1944 Chicago Tribune article.

The American tradition of helping others is very strong and was maintained even during the dark days of World War II.

Today, we must continue to help Ukraine maintain its independence as it fights brutal Russian aggression. It was unfortunate that aid to Ukraine was blocked by partisan politics earlier this year. That did not reflect the true American spirit. We must do better than that, especially with so many threats in the world.

There is one common enemy that threatens countries and must be stopped: that most powerful of all enemies: hunger, a relentless, silent famine that in many parts of the world has become so severe that it threatens to become a famine.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) says “urgent assistance is needed to prevent hunger in Gaza and Sudan, and further deterioration of the devastating hunger crises in Haiti, Mali and South Sudan.” WFP also warns that extreme drought will worsen hunger in South Africa. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Yemen, Syria, Ethiopia and Afghanistan are other countries suffering from hunger. People are starving to death in these countries. There are still many people who can be saved.

America is a global humanitarian leader and can do more to save lives in this time of crisis. Americans need to remind Congress of this and urge them to support global humanitarian efforts.

Our Declaration of Independence states, “We believe these self-evident truths, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Everyone should be free to live and have the basic rights to food, water and shelter. Many people struggle to obtain these basic rights and this is a major cause of instability in our world.

That’s why it’s so important to continue our tradition of helping other countries and ensuring that people live free from hunger and want. American generosity is something we can celebrate on the Fourth of July and carry with us all year round.