Giving Back to the Less Fortunate: Necessary or Optional?

On both Friday and Saturday, I devoted large portions of my time to volunteer. On Friday, I participated in a Habitat for Humanity build. My work consisted primarily of roofing work. I helped put tar paper down on the roof and also carried 70-80 pound packages of shingles up a ladder. On Saturday, I got together with some graduate students and went to Club Nova. This club is a house where mentally ill people come to be served meals and some are even housed behind the club.
Now, this is not the first time that I have volunteered. I have experience working at other places including Habitat for Humanity back home in Asheville. But for me, Club Nova was a completely different experience. I was interacting with people that are normally not encountered in everyday life. All were adults with varying levels and cases of some form of mental illness or disturbance. Some resembled characters from the film “Radio” while others were interested in super heroes. Regardless of their illness, I really enjoyed interacting with these people. They were very polite, grateful, and appreciative of our cooking and cleaning up. So after having these experiences, I pose the question: should we as a society take it upon ourselves to care for the less fortunate, to what degree, and how?
I remember at the beginning of this semester some of you guys were talking about the welfare system and how people on welfare were taking advantage of the system. You claimed that they were driving nice cars and owned other things that indicated a more luxurious lifestyle. I personally cannot agree or contest that statement because I do not have enough experience seeing these things. However, I do believe in humanity and taking care of each other, so I do support the concept of welfare and taking care of the less fortunate.
I am sure that some of you are in complete disagreement, which is fine, but let me first explain why I feel this way. First, you must put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Imagine being born with a disability that prevents you from working. Imagine being stuck by disaster that causes you to lose everything you had in life. Not fun huh? Maybe then you would want some help? The purpose of government is to serve its people and I feel that this is a valid way of serving some people. Secondly, there are people out there who do not abuse the system and need government care so that they can get back on their feet. The real issue is regulating this system so that people do not abuse it and actually make progress from it.
People cannot be given everything, or they will not grow from it. Poverty tends to be cyclical and with provided opportunities, many should be able to grow and seek jobs and education to better themselves and their financial situation. So the degree of care should depend on the situation. Certain levels of need should be established by financial analysis and other factors to be determined by the government. Then, to make sure that these people do not abuse it, more accurate applications should become standard so that the government is not fooled by some people’s illusions. I know that Club Nova is for mentally ill patients and it is generally agreed upon that they should be cared for because it is not their choice to be disabled. But I do know that they are as equally deserving of care as people who do not have the ability to support themselves or their families, whatever the situation may be. We are all humans and we are all created equally, so why can’t we all be able to access equal opportunity and aid?