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Mississippi sets example when it comes to charitable giving.

Article Excerpt
It just might be a case of "Yankee thrift" versus "Southern hospitality," but a new report indicates an entirely different culture in Mississippi--and other Southern states--than in New England when it comes to giving to churches and charities.

Mississippi ranks dead last in the "having index" for the Catalogue for Philanthropy guide to charitable giving in the U.S. But when it comes to the percentage of income donated by residents in the state, Mississippi ranks No. 1 in the "generosity index."

"We've known all our lives that Mississippians are a generous people, and this study proves it," said Secretary of State Eric Clark, whose office oversees charities in Mississippi.

People in the rest of the country--particularly New England--would do well to follow the example of people in Mississippi, says George McCully, president of the Catalogue for Philanthropy, which is based in Massachusetts. According to the philanthropy guide, people in Mississippi in 2001 gave a greater percentage of their income to churches and charities than in any other state in the country. Arkansas was second, South Dakota was third, and New Hampshire was 50th.

Mississippi has headed the list for generosity in giving for several years now.

McCully said a major reason for doing the rankings is to illustrate that philanthropic generosity isn't how much you give, but how much you give compared to how much you have.

"The Catalogue for Philanthropy was created because New England is the wealthiest area of the country, and gives the least to charity," McCully said. "It is important you folks in the South have set a good example for the rest of us. Everyone knows you are generous. What you are showing is that people in the rest of the country can afford to...

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