To the editor:

Toward the end of the rally in support of keeping our local SRS office open last Saturday, Sen. Tom Holland asked those who are the beneficiaries of SRS services to come to the front as he strummed and sang Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” with the crowd.

I stood there for a moment, thinking: We all have these services to fall back on, should Lady Luck abandon us, even for a moment. So, wouldn’t we all be beneficiaries?

Then the thought that drew me inexorably to the fore: We’re not doing this for those people, we’re doing this with them — for us all.

These services, and the dedicated people who perform them, do for us what we can’t do alone. They help those who require more than their families can provide. They’re there for any of us, in the event we find ourselves with more challenges than means to meet them. Have you ever known life without this safety net? Just knowing that someone cares enough to be there is far more powerful than you might think.

I invite you to take the journey, from the audience to the front of the crowd (imagine how it would feel, standing there for all the world to judge) not because it’s best for you, or even for “them,” but because it’s best for everyone.

Please, take that chance. Step forward to stand beside your fellow citizens, where you belong … where we all belong.