With United Way annual campaigns everywhere in full swing and the economy in turmoil, you can imagine the panic rippling through social service agencies and United Way staffs from coast to coast.

One urgent "thread" has been heating up an e-mail discussion list used by United Way leaders. The title: "Falling short of campaign goal?" It sounds the alarm for what appears to be a national trend, debates ways to explain how critical donations are for families hit by the tough economy and scrambles for options to salvage last-minute contributions before the annual push ends on the last day of this month.

The purpose of "beginning @ home," this monthly column, is to talk broadly about philanthropy. How our neighbors are helping each other survive emergencies and get ahead in life. What people are doing with their charitable gifts. What needs are becoming more critical (or, less) in our community. It's not designed as a way to raise money, and nobody wants it to become that kind of plea.

But since the United Way annual campaign is truly a community-wide effort — and not a day goes by without people asking how it's going — here's a quick update on our progress.

First, some good news. Despite the money crunch everyone is feeling, almost 70 companies stepped forward to sponsor their own United Way campaigns this fall. That includes large manufacturers and small businesses, governments and banks, the school system and individual schools, and even many of the agencies that rely on contributions to operate.

Many communities — in fact, probably most — would love to have that level of participation, and that simply reinforces the reputation Sanford and Lee County have earned for being an involved and compassionate community.

The flip side is that we've reached only 35 percent of our goal as of late November. That's not as dire as it may sound, because many companies haven't concluded their campaigns and others may have finished but haven't been added yet to that figure.

It's just an educated guess, but the current pace puts us on track to meet just 75 percent of our goal this year, which was set at $502,009 to raise what community leaders thought was needed — rounded to reflect 2009, the new year.

The United Way gladly accepts contributions at any time of the year, but the annual campaign is extremely important. It's what we use to make plans for the coming year; it's our guide to how much money is available and what groups we can assist.

And that brings us to some more good news. With a full month left in the campaign, there's time for all of us to make a year-end gift that will help meet the goal, assist our neighbors survive difficult times and make our entire community a better place to live.

We never need to be victims of a down economy. No matter what the circumstances may be, everyone making a contribution, large or small, will change lives. We've seen examples all year long — from hungry people receiving food at the Christians United Outreach Center to cancer patients getting a ride to their treatment center from volunteers at Highway to Healing. Honestly, there are too many stories to recall.

So, as the Christmas season approaches and our focus shifts to helping others, please consider making a donation to continue changing lives. That kind of generosity will ensure many more happy stories in our community well into the new year.