“Selmians care.” If you have any doubt about this statement, look around you at the donations to food drives and other charities during this season, especially.

And this giving comes during economic hard times when families are having to sacrifice some to meet their needs, much less give to those groups who traditionally feed the poor or provide some clothing and temporary shelter.

Mary Cook, a writer and national speaker, says we are healthiest when we are in “a continuous flow of giving and receiving.”

She says unselfish giving is our true nature and this consciously connects us with the divine.

In the Gospel of Matthew, this connection with the divine and giving to the poor is stressed by Jesus when he says, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Of course, this is the holiday season and everyone seems to care more about giving. We give each other presents and hear stories, such as “The Gift of the Magi,” about sacrificing to give and Christians attempt to recreate the greatest gift given — that of Jesus, the son of God, who came down to earth to walk as a human being, then give his life so that those who would receive could have salvation.

That is the ultimate gift.

That is why most people in Selma care and give to charities year around.