As snow falls on Boston for the first time this winter and the temperature plunges, homeless people across the city face their most difficult and life-threatening time of year. Citizens Energy President and former Congressman Joseph Kennedy has commendably paved the way for the Safe Haven shelter on Newbury Street to receive free winter heating.

If more community leaders followed Kennedy’s generous example, perhaps homeless men and women would not be found every night sleeping on freezing sidewalks in Kenmore Square or camped out in the BankBoston ATM in Warren Towers. While some students stare straight ahead and walk quickly by, hopefully most feel at least a twinge of sorrow for the down-and-out.

If Kennedy has the time and resources to help those less fortunate, BU students and other Boston residents can do the same, if on a smaller scale. Because of Kennedy’s offer, six mentally ill women will spend this winter in warmth. This is a gesture that may well have saved these women’s lives. A little help goes a long way.

Every corner of the United States is touched by poverty, and attempting to remedy all of it is a daunting task. However, if everyone with the means to help did so, the results would go a long way.