What does community service mean? [originaltext] The idea of helping people

The idea of helping people comes naturally to most of us. If we see a blind person getting off a bus, we watch to make sure that he is in no danger of falling. Members of a family help one another, with particular care for the very young and the elderly.
     There are many people who have nobody near to see their need for help and often nobody to give it even when the need is known. The old, the handicapped, the homeless and friendless-these are the people for whom help may not come, because nobody sees. It may not have occurred to you that you are in a position to help. Community service means helping the people around you. These organizations depend on voluntary help to carry out a wide variety of tasks, volunteers giving up a little of their spare time to lend a hand.
     If you wish to take part in this worthwhile activity, what sort of things would you do? Think of the people most
in need of help and the ways in which help can be given. Much of the work of community service is concerned with the care of the elderly and the handicapped. Old people cannot always redecorate their homes. Household responsibilities such as cleaning, preparing food or taking care of the garden may all prove difficult. Elderly people with fail- ing eyesight are delighted if a friend comes in to read or to write letters for them. A helping hand and a friendly face can mean a great deal to a lonely elderly person.