Editor: Christmas is a time for giving – but who will you give to?

When someone asks for our help in a situation that is so far removed from our own it can be difficult to say no.

We've heard it before - and we probably know - that not every penny we give directly to a person on the streets will be spent on food or a hot drink.

That's why places such as the Cathedral Archer Project and organisations like HARC over the Christmas period are there to help and do fantastic work in our city.

Much of it is unseen. If you walk along Campo Lane behind the cathedral, you might see some of the people who are being helped but on the whole you don't experience the amazing work that is done.

It's not just about giving people food or a shower, it's about giving hope and helping to turn lives around.

From reading our letters pages day by day and walking through the city centre – especially, it seems, in more recent months – we know that there are many vulnerable people on our streets both during the day and at night.

There are too many.

Surely in a society like ours, poverty and homelessness should not exist. It devastates so many people's lives and impacts society as whole.

As a city and nation we must do better.

But what we don't see are those who aren’t there any more. Those who have turned their lives around and are no longer having or choosing to beg. Those who, thanks to groups such as the Archer Project, are no longer on our streets.

When we give to places like the Archer Project, Ben's Centre or the Salvation Army to name just a few, we know where the money is going and we can rely on them to spend it in a way that really will make a difference.

This Christmas there will be generous Sheffielders giving up their time to help those who find themselves on our streets. Not everyone can do that – and not everyone can afford to give.

But I for one need to think more wisely this Christmas about what I can give, and who I should give it to.