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Residents take care of their own

It is better to give than to receive, so the saying goes; and West Virginians know that better than residents of most other states, according to a new WalletHub report.

The Mountain State was deemed the 11th “most charitable” state, according to an analysis of 13 metrics such as volunteer rate and percentage of income donated.

For some categories, West Virginia was still in the bottom half of states — but, then again, it will not shock many people to know the state does not have a lot of residents who are able to donate a high percentage of their income.

The Mountain State is 28th in rate of volunteerism; and 29th in the number of charities per capita (which might come as a surprise to those outsiders who believe all West Virginians walk around with their hands out).

Here is where we make up for those middle-of-the-pack numbers, however: West Virginians are first in the nation when it comes to the percentage of the population that collects and distributes food for others; and we rank second in the percentage of people who collect and distribute clothing. No other state has residents who care more about making sure their neighbors have food and clothing in times of need.

By the way, the report made another point that many may already have suspected: Red states — that is, states that voted predominantly Republican in the 2016 general election — are more generous than blue states.

At this time of year, such generosity means even more; and there are certainly still parts of West Virginia working from even farther behind this winter, as they continue to recover from the summer’s floods. But WalletHub’s numbers bear out what most of us already know. We will take care of each other, and we will do it better than anyone else can.

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