I'm not talking about using the tools in your service truck to help someone change their tire. I'm talking about truly making a concentrated and intentional effort to use the resources you have available to you as a farmer to help someone turn their lives around. Maybe you find someone who's just plain had bad luck and is out of options and given them a job, a place to stay and food until they can find something else. Maybe you went a step further and tried to help someone who wasn't just down on their luck but someone who had made some really poor choices and could even be struggling with addictions or other issues.

I've thought about doing things like this from time to time but never have the courage to follow through. There is a lot of risk with a decision like that. For the person that's just had bad luck, they usually aren't as visible. The people that are really visible may be downright dangerous or your attempt at helping them may put them in a worse position than they were before.

Have any of you ever gone out on a limb like that?