As the semester winds to an end and decorative storefronts remind us of the sparkling holiday season at hand it is easy to get caught up in the spectacle and forget about those in need.

To rattle our memory, Salvation Army volunteers will be armed with a bucket and bell dutifully staking out commercial hubs. The bell will consistently clang into the recesses of our guilty consciences, until we reflexively toss some money aside.

Although that spare change does make a difference, your benevolence doesn’t have to stop there. Fund-raising, volunteering and donating gifts are good ways to have a direct and immediate impact in the lives of those who are less fortunate.

The Hope Haven homeless shelter in DeKalb is always looking for volunteers and accepting donations. An anonymous gift to a child in need is the difference between a normal day and a holiday, between a diminished self-esteem and a restored hope. Donating a gift takes little time and money and is well worth the effort.

Another good samaritan idea for this holiday season is to donate money to an honorable charity on someone else’s behalf. Perhaps you know someone that’s really difficult to shop for. They have everything they could want and don’t need anything else cluttering their space. Donating to charity on their behalf might be just the right gift for them. It doesn’t contribute to their collection of useless clutter and it supports a good cause.

The holiday season is about giving, but that doesn’t mean we should forget about people less fortunate the rest of the year. Something more needs to be done. Poverty is a complex issue that needs to be addressed. As college students, we are the future and must be acquainted with the ills of society to better serve the generations to come.

Last year, 8,136 people lived in poverty in DeKalb, according to the 2006 Census Bureau report. While extending generosity once a year to these people in need will make their holiday slightly brighter, it will not alter their unfortunate living conditions.

To make a significant difference in the fight against poverty, both the state and federal government must work together to ensure better education, housing conditions, health care and employment opportunities. These elements are interconnected.

Someone with a poor education becomes stuck in a low-wage job with little opportunity to advance. Their low-wage job provides insufficient health care. The rising cost of housing forces them to spend a large chunk of their paycheck on rent, leaving little money for other expenses such as transportation, clothing, utilities, savings and quality food. A lack of nutritious food contributes to unstable health, which results in missed work, decreased income and the inability to climb out of poverty.

One out of eight Americans lives in poverty, according to the 2006 Census Bureau report. To make a difference, we need to reach out to those in need throughout the year and not just during the holiday season. Above all, we need politicians willing to show they care through actions, not rhetoric.