The signs of the holiday season are being packed up this week — menorahs and nativities being tucked away in attics and basements for another year — but the signs of the other big year-ending season slipped away a week ago. 

Did you notice the boxes being pulled out of the restaurants and the community centers? The signs for food donations and toy collections being taken down?

November and December are the “season of giving” across the country and right here in Sullivan County, that time of year when people open their hearts to give a little extra to make the holidays brighter for folks who could use some help.

With the major gift giving holidays behind us, the in-your-face reminders to give have also been tucked away for another year. 

But need can’t be tucked away. 

Looking back at Sullivan County in 2025, that need is bigger than ever. 

In March of 2025, a state-wide report found Sullivan County has the third highest barriers to well-being in the state due in part to graduation rates lower than state averages and teen pregnancy rates higher than those of other counties. 

In August, we were greeted with a report from the Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress showing that the Sullivan County cost of housing has dramatically outpaced salaries. In just one year, our county’s average rent gap nearly doubled. 

In other words? A single adult earning average wages here in Sullivan County needs to work approximately 62 hours per week to afford the fair market rent on a 2-bedroom apartment.

Also in August, Liberty’s Sullivan Fresh Community Cupboard reported to the Sullivan County Legislature that the need for their services was up 100 percent due to rising food costs. Four months later, even after SNAP benefits were restored, the Sullivan Health and Human Services Committee reported food insecurity in the county has reached an all-time high. Meanwhile, economists at the USDA’s Economic Research Service say grocery costs are expected to keep on climbing in the new year. 

Just this month came the news that our health insurance costs are also jumping. According to estimates, a family of four making $130,000 in Sullivan County could see a 60.73 percent increase in their premiums. A couple is expected to see their monthly costs increase by 31 percent. 

The boxes are gone. The signs are down. But walk into any grocery store, any landlord's office, any insurance office in this county, and you'll see the real signs — the ones that can't be tucked away. 

The question is whether we'll still be looking for them now that no one's asking us to.