This article is part of Times Opinion’s 2025 Giving Guide.
A few years ago, I wrote that “some of the most important and impactful work we can do as citizens takes place in our own communities.”
I still think that is true.
It is incredibly easy, in our modern political environment, to get caught up in the spectacle of national politics — to obsess over the twists and turns of events in Washington and to treat the consumption of political media as a kind of civic engagement. But watching politics transpire on our screens isn’t political participation any more than watching an N.F.L. game is playing football. We’re just spectators. To be involved in a real way, we have to take it to the streets, as it were. We have to join our neighbors in a common endeavor. We have to step away, go outside and make ourselves active members of our communities.
As you think about your holiday giving, I want you to consider local organizations — people and institutions that are doing work in your area, for the people around you. For my part, I am sharing three organizations near me in Charlottesville, Va., that are doing work to try to mitigate some of the worst harms perpetrated by the administration in Washington.
The Legal Aid Justice Center works to assist and protect immigrant communities in central Virginia. It helps families navigate our convoluted immigration system, fights the separation of families by federal authorities and opposes the abuse of immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as Customs and Border Protection. It also works to assist people in the area with housing and tenant rights, and helps individuals and families secure benefits from public assistance programs.
The government shutdown and reduction in SNAP in particular put a spotlight on the importance of local food banks. Here in Charlottesville we have the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, which served an average of 171,200 people each month, including 54,380 children and 29,550 seniors from July 2024 to June 2025, distributing 32 million pounds of food and 27 million meals. Food insecurity is far more common than you might think, and organizations like the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank are a vital supplement for our increasingly threadbare social safety net.
On any given night, more than 200 people in Charlottesville will find themselves with nowhere to sleep. Thanks to rising rents and a dearth of low-cost and affordable housing, the number of people who find themselves without a place to live and sleep is expected to rise. We have several organizations dedicated to helping the homeless in the area, but one of my favorites is The Haven, which provides many vital services to anyone who needs help, such as meals, showers, storage, laundry service and computer access. The Haven also offers housing assistance programs, referrals for jobs, medical clinics, mental health services and a place to rest.
Organizations like these exist in every community. Look for some near you and offer your support. I have no doubt that they could use it.
This article is part of Times Opinion’s 2025 Giving Guide. The author has no direct connection to the organizations mentioned. If you are interested in any organization mentioned in the guide, please go directly to its website. Neither the authors nor The Times will be able to address queries about the groups or facilitate donations.
What I Wrote
I wrote my column this week on President Trump’s corrupt use of the pardon power. Coincidentally, the president issued yet another corrupt pardon just a few hours after the column published on Wednesday. It was further confirmation of a point I argued in the article, which is that Trump is using the pardon to give amnesty to those convicted of corruption and fraud.
At its best, the presidential pardon has been used to show mercy — leniency for Americans who might be unjustly imprisoned or received sentences that were not commensurate with their offense. Not so the Trump pardons, which seem to be connected to his interests (personal, political and pecuniary) in one way or another.
I joined my colleagues Michelle Cottle and David French on an episode of “The Opinions.” I was also on Slate’s “Culture Gabfest” discussing the week in pop culture.
Now Reading
Katherine Alejandra Cross on the dead end of anti-trans politics for Liberal Currents.
Jed S. Rakoff on cryptocurrency for The New York Review of Books.
Jonathan Lemire on the president’s isolation from the world for The Atlantic.
Rami Abu Jamous on Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s public sector for Boston Review.
Moira Donegan on the American right’s open disdain for women’s suffrage for The Guardian.
Photo of the Week
We went to a sunflower farm near Waynesboro, Va., for a fall festival a few months ago. I took this photo while walking through the sunflower field.
Now Eating: Chicken and Dumplings
A perfect cold weather meal! This version comes from Simply Recipes. You can use all-purpose flour for the dumplings if you don’t have pastry flour, but they’ll be a little less tender.
Ingredients
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1 quart chicken stock, preferably homemade
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3 to 3 ½ pounds chicken thighs and breasts, skin-on, bone-in, trimmed of excess fat
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2 teaspoons butter or extra virgin olive oil, or a combination of both
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Salt
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1 large onion, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
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2 to 3 ribs celery, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
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3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
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1 teaspoon dried thyme
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⅓ cup all-purpose flour
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¼ cup dry sherry or vermouth, optional
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¾ cup frozen peas, thawed
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¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
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1 tablespoon heavy cream, optional
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Ground black or white pepper
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2 cups cake flour
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2 teaspoons baking powder
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¾ teaspoon salt
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¼ cup minced fresh herb leaves, such as parsley, chives and tarragon, optional
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2 tablespoons butter, melted
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¾ cup milk
Directions
Add the chicken stock to a medium pot and bring it up to a gentle simmer.
In a large (8-quart or larger) thick-bottomed pot, heat the butter or olive oil over medium-high heat. Pat dry the chicken pieces and sprinkle with salt.
Working in batches, brown the chicken pieces, placing the pieces skin-side down first. This will render out fat you will use to build the stew later.
Once the chicken pieces are browned on all sides, remove them from the large pot and turn off the heat. Remove and discard the skin from the chicken pieces and put the chicken pieces into the pot of simmering stock.
Poach the chicken in the stock until cooked through, about 20 minutes or so.
Remove the chicken pieces and set on a tray to cool for a few minutes. When the chicken pieces are cool to touch, pull the meat off the bones and cut into 2-inch chunks. Set aside.
Return the heat on the large pot to medium-high. When the pot is hot, add the onion, celery, carrot and thyme and sauté until soft but not browned, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the flour and stir well. The flour will absorb the fat in the pot and stick a little to the bottom. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir the flour-vegetable mixture constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let it burn.
Get a ladle ready and have the pot of simmering chicken stock nearby. Add the sherry to the flour-vegetable mixture. It will sputter and seize up.
Add a ladle of hot chicken stock and stir well. It will be goopy. Add another ladle, then another, stirring all the while, until the broth comes together.
Add the rest of the chicken stock and the reserved chicken meat. Increase the heat and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer while you make the dumplings.
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add chopped fresh herbs. Add melted butter and milk to the dry ingredients.
Gently mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture just comes together.
Drop dumpling batter into the simmering stew by heaping teaspoonfuls over the surface of the stew. (Note that the dumplings will easily double in size as they cook.) Cover and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Once you have covered the pan, do not uncover and peek while the dumplings are cooking! In order for the dumplings to be light and fluffy, they must steam, not boil. Uncovering the pan releases the steam.
If after 15 minutes the dumplings are still not cooked through, then cover the pan again and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Gently stir in peas, parsley and cream, if using. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle portions of meat, sauce, vegetables and dumplings into bowls and serve.
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