To the Editor,

There are unfortunate realities in working with the humanity of North Carolina’s poorest county and neighboring regions. Increasingly, there are those households and individuals in our communities who have not prepared for final burial expenses.

Previously when serving our community needs and situations arose where individuals had passed and there were no resources for burial, our communities had an incredible benefactor who invested his heart, soul and wallet into whatever need existed. We lost this benefactor a few months ago and our communities have voids in hearts, minds and material needs.

As death continues to strike our most at-risk households, where the privilege of insurance is overtaken by the need for food, our communities are feeling the strain of being asked to assist with burial expenses. Our local funeral directors have been phenomenally generous in their understanding of such situations. We cannot, however, continue to ask men and women to take money from their own wallets and food from their own tables because of these unfortunate happenings.

Churches for some time have assisted households that have some affiliation with their assemblies. Some churches even go as far as extending assistance to households within certain range of their doors. This burden, however, takes away from church mission and ministry.

In response to this increasing need, I am writing to the public. First I am asking families to go to church and be spiritually prepared for none of us know what hour death will visit our homes. Secondly, I am asking insurance companies in our region, to recognize this community need. Let’s identify a burial insurance resource for at-risk households, possibly consider collecting annual premiums to offset the sting of death. Third, while public funds cannot be used for this purpose, churches, corporations, individuals, foundations, municipalities and communities ought to establish a cross community/denomination burial fund for strictly documented households with need.

Finally, with all the money being spent by tribal chairman candidates on campaign signs and other expenses, I think these folks ought to be the first platinum donors to this fund. With some candidates spending $60,000 on their campaigns, let’s challenge them to begin this fund by each contributing $5,000 to a church or other entity stepping forward to administer this cross community/denomination burial fund.

Eric R. Locklear

Fayetteville