October 31, 2025
The True Measure of Compassion Isn’t Found in Government.
It’s found in neighbors, churches, and the quiet generosity of free people.
By: Idaho Dist. 25 Representative David Leavitt
The headlines say Republicans are to blame for food banks shutting down. It’s a convenient story for those in Washington who thrive on outrage. But what’s really happening is a political standoff in the U.S. Senate.
It takes 60 votes to end debate on a bill, a step called cloture. Senate Democrats are refusing to invoke cloture, using the standoff to demand more spending for their political priorities: overseas DEI and climate projects, extended Obamacare subsidies, expanded Medicaid reimbursements covering care for illegal immigrants, and more taxpayer money for left-leaning media and activist organizations.
Rather than advancing a clean bill to help American families, they are willing to let citizens suffer to secure funding for their ideological agenda. Then they turn around and blame others for the pain they created.
Programs like SNAP were meant to help people through tough times, not create permanent dependency. But Washington’s solution to every problem is more spending, more control, and more reliance on government. Instead of empowering people, they have conditioned citizens to depend on distant systems for what once came from neighbors, churches, and communities.
It’s the same reason we are told not to feed the wildlife in a national forest. When animals grow used to being fed, they lose the ability to fend for themselves. What begins as kindness turns into captivity. The same is true when government replaces personal responsibility with permanent assistance.
But when those government promises fall short, it is not Washington that steps up. It is the churches, the nonprofits, and the neighbors who still believe in helping one another without expecting something in return.
One powerful example is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its Bishop’s Storehouse program. These storehouses operate quietly across the country, providing food and necessities to families in need, much of it supported through the Church’s fast offering program. Members fast for two meals each month and donate the money they would have spent on food. Those small sacrifices, gathered together, become a lifeline for others. It is a simple, dignified model: personal discipline turned into community compassion.
The Church of Jesus Christ is not alone in this. Many Christian congregations, from Catholic Charities to Baptist and Methodist churches, operate on the same principle of voluntary giving. Local parishes, food drives, and outreach ministries serve families every day without a dime of federal money, just the compassion of their congregations and the will to serve.
That is the kind of charity America was built on: neighbors caring for neighbors because it is right, not because a government agency mandates it. In Idaho, that spirit is still alive. When someone falls on hard times, it is a church group, a nonprofit, or a neighbor who steps up. We do not wait for Washington to fix what we can handle ourselves.
Faith, family, and community have always been the backbone of real charity. Government can hand out assistance, but it cannot offer hope. It can distribute food, but it cannot restore dignity. Only people can do that, and they do it best when they are free to act, give, and serve according to conscience.
We, the people, can feed the people. Not because Washington failed, but because we were never meant to hand over that responsibility in the first place.
How You Can Help
For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this coming Sunday is Fast Sunday. As federal employees face furloughs and many Idaho families struggle with rising costs, your fast offerings can make a real difference. If you are able, consider giving a little more this month to help provide food and relief to those in need.
To everyone in the Magic Valley, this is a moment to live out the values that define us. Donate if you can, volunteer if you are able, and check on a neighbor who might be falling behind. Real compassion is not measured by politics, but by people who choose to care for one another.
Together, we can ensure no one in our community goes hungry or unseen, not through government programs, but through faith, generosity, and the unity of free people lifting each other up.
Local Food and Charity Resources
If you feel called to act, here are trusted local organizations in Twin Falls and Jerome County that welcome donations and volunteers.
