Waterford — This is the traditional time of year for retrospection. Except that a more cynical fellow might suggest that you'd have to be more contemplative than the Buddha himself to offer 2020 anything more than an absorbing, "don't let the doorknob leave a lasting impression."

Ah, but 2020, perhaps more than any other year in our lifetime, completely exposed the inherent goodness in people, too. Despite pervasive posturing, politics and a pandemic came a willingness to help and sacrifice that may endure through 2021 and beyond.

Nowhere has this been more evident than with the teamwork of Waterford Youth and Family Services and the Cactus Jack Organization, a whole lot of regular people doing extraordinary things for their town.

Waterford Youth and Family Services: a fixture in offering mental health services, working with families, positive youth development programs and now a food bank, sustaining the everlasting value of human service agencies. Cactus Jack: basically a bunch of old sports guys uniting to help anybody in need, emerging as the cleanup hitter among such organizations in our corner of the world.

There are so many layers here, but none more staggering than this: They recently combined to provide 19,000 holiday toys to local families in two days. That's a whole lot of money required to buy 19,000 toys, the organizational skills to properly distribute them and the time required to wrap them — much through donations and volunteerism.

"Since the pandemic started we reversed course and totally focused on people who have suffered unimaginable hardships," said Dani Gorman, who runs Youth and Family Services. "We've focused a lot on the food bank and have provided thousands of meals. Saw lots of new people."

It should be noted that Gorman said all this via a phone conversation, before which she said, "I'll have to put you on speakerphone. I'm multi-tasking."

Inasmuch as the pandemic changed all our lifestyles, the necessity of Gorman's work translated into dedication from her and the staff that really ought to win some kind of award.

"For each of us here, we had to be really healthy and couldn't get sick. If one of us got sick, the whole operation would have to shut down and people wouldn't have what they needed," Gorman said. "It made me realize how valuable human services are. All I did was run, read books and watch Hallmark movies."

Donations to the food bank, Gorman said, are "in the tens of thousands of dollars." Meals to kids, families, seniors and veterans. Deliveries. Help with heat and rent. And then the kicker: To many people who never believed they'd need such assistance.

"This is the first year we had previous donors become our consumers," Gorman said. "We saw a lot of people in hospitality industry. Casino workers, who never imagined their work would go away. Even though some got the stimulus check, it didn't extend. Some elderly couldn't leave their homes. We worked with all sorts of hardships.

"We try to make their experience with us really confidential and personable," Gorman said. "We want to make sure they know that we know it's the first time it's happening to them and to feel safe about what they're sharing with us. This is just a moment in your life and maybe next year or year after, come back to volunteer."

Gorman mentioned a number of recent Waterford High graduates who came back to volunteer. Reigning Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year Jared Burrows and former two-time Day Basketball Player of the Year Mikey Buscetto among them.

"I truly admire young people who gave of themselves during a risky moment in their lives," Gorman said. "Aidan Elbaum (a 2020 graduate) has worked in the food bank every single day. His senior year didn't have the same celebrations as it would have under normal circumstances. But it didn't stop him. The kids have brought food and gifts to people and seen them start to cry. It's incredibly meaningful."

Gorman also mentioned Mike Buscetto, a member of the Cactus Jack Foundation as well as the chair for Youth and Family Services. Gorman: "Some people shine in times like this."

There will be a time soon with bars, restaurants, barber shops and coffee shops full again, all with patrons telling stories about the perils of 2020. But as the old line goes, the wound is where the light gets in. Plenty of light here in 2020, believe it or not. People helping people.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro