My son and I went to deliver Christmas presents to our friends. We were welcomed by Marlene Laws, the ever-energetic matriarch visiting her daughter and granddaughter from out of town. We hadn't gotten our coats off when Marlene offered us a plate of home-made Christmas cookies. They were some of my favorites that I had not enjoyed in years, and the taste brought back sweet childhood memories.

I hadn't seen Marlene in a while, and I asked her what was new. As always, she had been quite busy volunteering and improving the lives of others. This year she had a story of giving that made the local news. Her home town of Cannon Beach, Oregon had been hit by the recent hurricane leaving everyone in the community without power. Further, all of the roads in and out of the town were blocked by downed power lines or felled trees. It would be days before the Red Cross could make their way in; the people of Cannon Beach were on their own.

Marlene and the pastor's wife were concerned about the elderly and shut-ins, so they each went home and made a pot of soup. They brought them to the church and placed a hand-painted sign on the sidewalk that said, Free Hot Food Coffee. Marlene describes the magic from those two pots of soup that was "like the story Stone Soup."

A call for volunteers and door-to-door efforts got the word out about the church-based refuge. The fire department brought in a city–owned generator. People with woodstoves or gas stoves brought prepared dishes. An executive chef wondered what to do with their food that would spoil. They considered bringing it into the church, but decided to prepare their signature dishes. When their food supply ran low they recruited other restaurants in the area to do the same. All in all, these two pots of soup lead to efforts in which 75 volunteers fed 2000 people three meals a day for six days. The mood was festive and fun.

The sweetness of Marlene's Christmas cookies was even sweeter as I digested this sweet act of a community coming together in this way.

Increasing numbers of medical studies confirm what you know to be true; giving promotes health. A randomized trial from Johns Hopkins shows that older adults who volunteered in a school experienced meaningful improvements in their physical and mental health. A neuroscientist at the NIH has the MRI to prove that giving lights up more pleasure centers in the brain than receiving the same gift. A recent study published in Science shows that even mandatory tax-like contributions to charity elicit this response, although it's greater when giving is voluntary. Those who witness an act of kindness even enjoy positive effects.

These medical studies share a common theme: Volunteering or giving back or reaching out reduce the body's response to stress. Increasing medical evidence suggests that stress may be the final common pathway of most disease processes.

If you are putting better health on your list of New Years resolutions, consider your giving habits. Think about your own balance between caring for yourself and caring for others. The wisdom of the body can guide giving. The heart pumps nutrients to every cell of the body. The very first blood vessels that leaves the heart with rich blood feed the heart itself. When the heart is not nourished, every cell of the body suffers. So as you consider you're your open-hearted giving, be sure to put self-care at the top of the list! You'll be better able to serve others.

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Copyright © Vicki Rackner MD, 2008

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