“It’s greater to give than to receive.”

Those words haunted me as a kid, especially at this time of year and the expectation of Christmas.

How did this work?

Was this a quid pro quo with our maker?

Would I not receive gifts if I did not give? Was I to feel guilty for not giving a gift to someone giving one to me? Was giving meant to be unconditional with no expectation of something in return – was that the reward? How could that be?

Those thoughts crossed my mind as I read one of dozens of emails flooding my inbox. The email was from the website Wallet-Hub, and it included a report on the Most Charitable States. Topping the rankings is Wyoming. Maine was the only New England state in the top 20. It is ranked fourth.

The study didn’t sit well with me.

This is a generous and caring community. If you scan the pages of this paper and check out social media, you’ll find numerous instances of organizations and people helping one another. Money is one measurement, but it is hardly the only one. Time and in-kind donations are huge. And in many cases contributions are linked to personal achievements such as linking donations to meeting a personal goal of cycling or hiking so many miles.

So, how did WalletHub come up with this ranking?

Digging into the email, Chip Lupo, WalletHub analyst offered this explanation: “The most charitable states aren’t just the places where people give the largest raw amounts of money. The share of the population contributing and the percentage of their individual incomes they’re willing to use to help others are big factors in showing how charitable people are. In addition, many people can’t afford to give much money, especially due to the influence of inflation, but they generously donate their time, which is just as important.”

And how was Wyoming anointed the most charitable state?

The answer: “in large part because residents spend an average of 33 hours per year volunteering, the second-most in the country. The state also has the second-highest percentage of residents who volunteer, at around 39%. In addition, residents of the Equality State generously give money to charity, donating nearly 4% of their adjusted gross income on average, the second-highest percentage in the country. On top of that, Wyoming has the second-most Feeding America food banks per capita, and it shelters 89% of its homeless population.”

Not that the rankings should affect giving in Rhode Island – this is not a contest – but it’s an unfair picture of Little Rhody.  We need to look no further than the services provided by the Elks, Rotary, Lions, Knights of Columbus, church organizations to see how involved and caring this community is. Rhode Islanders are also supportive of an array of nonprofits underwriting causes from scholarships , youth development, medical research and  providing permanent shelter for the homeless.

How might we think of this in terms of: “It is greater to give than to receive?”

As a kid it didn’t compute.  But now the return on community investment is apparent.  It’s huge. Keep giving and the Ocean State will even be better.