:: the neediest need ::

Let's pretend there was a big fire that swept through the area. This fire, while it did burn through huge sections of land, managed to miss heavily populated areas and hit mostly the rural, the uninsured.

But insurance, that's not what I want to talk about. Back to my scenario.

Hypothetically speaking, the main church in the area would see this need (literally over 100 homes/buildings burned just in one zip code) and be moved to action, and would naturally set up a sort of free store. People all over the county would want to help, would be pouring in donations. This would fill the store with things, which would in turn fill the store with people who need those things.

Now.

Let's imagine that in this area where there were fires and burned homes, there were also non-burned homes belonging to the poor. Who are usually the first to hear about free things. Who would then want to come supplement their poverty with wonderfully donated free things like new shoes and soft sheets and my never-used wall organizer.

I'm not saying I would know what to do, but it is an interesting sorting that happens, a hierarchy of needs. (Aren't we glad that hasn't happened here?)