MORRIS – Grundy County is the home of unparalleled generosity.

I know most people think their community is special – why else would they live there? – but I truly believe that our county is filled with the most kind, caring and generous people I’ve ever met.

As we move toward the holiday season we will start to see bell ringers outside Wal-Mart collecting money for We Care of Grundy County. We’ll listen into the local radio station and hear people bid at an auction that will provide Christmas for countless children through Operation St. Nick.

This isn’t what sets us apart; there are bell ringers in most towns, and food pantries will hand out turkeys, and organizations like The Salvation Army will step in and get toys to those in need.

What makes this community different is that this behavior happens all year.

Countless community members give up a few hours of sleep each night to volunteer at the local PADS shelter so those without homes have a warm place to sleep. They do this from October to April every year.

Local people will host fundraisers to help their neighbor, friend or family member as they face hardships, whether it be cancer or the loss of a home to a fire.

This past year, thousands lined up to help dig their neighbors in Coal City out from under mounds of tornado debris.

Many of those same people were in Diamond two years ago digging those residents out from the tornado that destroyed their homes.

The people who have been on the receiving end of the generosity are often the first in line to help the next person when they need it.

I’ve talked to many who have moved to the area over the years for work or to be closer to family, and while they can’t put into words what is so special about the community, they sense it almost immediately.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the year ending September 2014, 25 percent of Americans volunteer for organizations.

As I sat thinking about this number, it means one in every four of my friends, or one in every four of my neighbors, should be volunteering to be at the national average.

Maybe I’m just blessed with really awesome giving friends and neighbors, but when I sit and look at the neighbors I know and speak to every day, we’re above average, with 75 percent volunteering at least once a year and 50 percent volunteering on a more regular basis.

When I look at my closest local friends, we are at 100 percent for donating time or money to local causes at least once a year, with most giving on a regular basis.

As the holiday approaches, I’d like to give our readers a challenge.

Let’s blow that 25 percent national level out of the water – let’s aim for 100 percent. If you haven’t volunteered or donated yet this year, please take a look around the community and see where your help is needed.

Most of us have something we are passionate about: children, reading, food, homelessness. Whatever it is that you feel passionate about, reach out and see how that passion can benefit someone else.

Bake some cookies for a neighbor, offer to help rake the yard of your elderly neighbor or once the snow comes – and it is coming – offer to shovel the walk at church, at an elderly person’s house or at the home of a single parent who has their hands full.

• Heidi Litchfield is a staff reporter for the Morris Herald-News. Community Pulse is a weekly column that provides a dedicated space for Grundy County-area nonprofits, schools, organizations and sometimes Morris Herald-News staff to share news and information about their organization.