Campaigns connect with constituents through charity

WASHINGTON-Tom Perriello’s upset win in Virginia’s fifth congressional district showed the power of combining charity work with politics.

In addition to knocking on doors and raising money, the Democrat from Ivy and his staff spent hundreds of hours during the campaign volunteering at charities ranging from a Danville food bank to a Charlottesville soup kitchen.

Perriello, a Catholic who ran on a theme of “replacing a culture of corruption with a culture of service,” said his request that his volunteers spend 10 percent of their campaign time helping the needy was “deeply rooted in the life I try to lead.”

But the charity work had its own political pay off - allowing the campaign to meet voters it would have missed through political rallies or campaign phone calls.

“It gave people a sense to get to know me at a deeper level,” Perriello said. He estimated that he and 100 volunteers spent a combined 1,200 hours working for charities during the campaign.

Perriello’s team spent three full days building a duplex home for Habitat for Humanity in Charlottesville.

“He made quite the impression on a lot of people here,” said Robin Francis, volunteer coordinator at Habitat for Humanity in Charlottesville. “I think he changed some minds and for others he opened their eyes.”

Perriello defeated Republican Rep. Virgil Goode by 727 votes after a recount.

Initially, Perriello’s campaign tithing plan was met with some resistance by non-profit agencies. They did not want to be seen as endorsing a candidate in the race.

Francis said her organization made it clear from the start: “This was going to be purely about serving and charity and not about politics.”

Perriello said, “At first people just didn’t quite get it, but once we started it we were getting calls from non-profits all over the district.”

By Election Day, the campaign had volunteered time at an adult day care facility in Martinsville, a domestic violence shelter in Bedford, a Franklin County youth literacy program, and sent care packages to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Perriello also volunteered at Danville’s largest black church, Bibleway Cathedral.

Many candidates ask to speak from the pulpit to the 1,500 congregants present on a typical Sunday, said Rev. Larry Campbell, the assistant pastor.

But far fewer ask to volunteer, he said. Perriello and his volunteers spent about three hours per weekly session filling bags of groceries for needy families.

“Some candidates come around just for picture-taking time,” Campbell said. Perriello “is very sincere. He didn’t just do this for a political stunt.”

Observers say Perriello, a dogged campaigner, was smart to mix politics with charity work in the conservative district.

Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the University of Virginia, said he had not heard of a candidate devoting so much campaign time to community service.

“It’s better to have the campaign doing charity work than political work,” he said. “...As it turns out it, it can be useful politically.”

Perriello said he plans to continue tithing his time - his “most valuable asset” - while in Congress.

“People are struggling. You see that when you volunteer,” he said.

A snapshot of charities members of the Virginia delegation support with their personal funds, according to their congressional offices:

Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-3rd

-St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Newport News

-March of Dimes

-Boys and Girls Clubs of America

Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th

-Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank

-Lynchburg Daily Bread

-Bradley Free Clinic, Roanoke

Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th

-Virginia Holocaust Museum

-Positive Vibe Café, Richmond

-Bon Secours Richmond Healthcare Foundation

Rep. James P. Moran, D-8th

-ALexandrians InVolved Ecumenically

-Tahirih Justice Center

-The Child and Family Network Centers

Rep. Rick Boucher, D-9th

-The Nature Conservancy

-Southwest Virginia public radio stations

-The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail