When the giving is good, the greedy get needy.</p><p>This aspect of human nature deserves addressing as the Salvation Army red kettles are set out, the United Way closes out its annual donation drive, Project Warmth begins and lists for &#8220;Adopt a Family&#8221; are posted on office bulletin boards.</p><p>So if you are thinking, &#8220;How can I be sure the hand receiving isn&#8217;t attached to someone able to earn his own living?&#8221;</p><p>Never fear being generous in Kansas City. If local social workers ever need a new line of work, detective would suffice. Those seeking to get a bit extra this holiday season are ferreted out with impressive tenacity. Not only that, but Kansas City has one of the most sophisticated computerized systems of tracking people receiving aid.</p><p>&#8220;I have been called many names and so have my other workers,&#8221; said Carla Brewer, the director of family support at the Don Bosco Centers. &#8220;But they are not going to abuse (the system), nor use the families who call and want to adopt a family.&#8221;</p><p>Brewer tears up knowing what will happen next month: Each Christmas she has more families who have been identified as truly needy than she has those wishing to adopt them.</p><p>So she is adamant that only those who are in programs to improve their situations receive the aid.</p><p>&#8220;Most of our people are in case management or involved with Don Bosco somehow, someway,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We don&#8217;t just see them once.&#8221;</p><p>Suspicions arise if someone shows up seeking only a basket of goodies for Christmas but hasn&#8217;t ever needed any other type of assistance.</p><p>Brewer says that could be a sign of greed. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know how else to put it.&#8221;</p><p>Such people can be identified by MAACLink, a computer program operated by Mid America Assistance Coalition. It&#8217;s interactive, with nearly all of the local social-service agencies sharing the data.</p><p>A family&#8217;s budget, Social Security numbers, utility bills, income and family history can be entered. That way, there is no moving from agency to agency to gain aid, getting assistance twice. And changes &#8212; say, if a job is lost or gained &#8212; can be tracked.</p><p>Brewer, like her cohorts, is not shy about finding out exactly how a person came to that predicament. She gives this example: a young woman &#8212; say, 24 years old &#8212; comes into her office seeking aid for her five kids, all with no active fathers. The young lady can expect a discussion about how this situation was allowed to occur.</p><p>This is not heartless. Kansas City social workers are among the kindest, most empathetic of souls, but they seek to aid those who are ready to help themselves. And they are just as loyal to their clients as they are to those who want to help them through donations.</p><p>Christina Jasso, at the Guadalupe Centers&#8217; Salud Center, is especially savvy at rooting out people who are fond of aliases.</p><p>Social workers are a special breed for other reasons, too. Many know the pain of scrambling from paycheck to paycheck.</p><p>&#8220;Back in the day, when I was struggling,&#8221; Jasso says, &#8220;my phone bill was $25 a month because I only had basic service. So don&#8217;t come to me with an $80 bill you want paid and expect me to buy that you need call waiting.&#8221;</p><p>And there is always intuition. Jasso marks an applicant&#8217;s file with a question mark if something doesn&#8217;t seem right. Then later, she will rerun checks, just to make sure something wasn&#8217;t missed.</p><p>More people than ever will be seeking assistance this holiday season, but if a local agency tells you someone needs help, be assured that person truly does and your generosity will be appreciated.</p><p>&#8226;<strong>Column u</strong><strong>pdate: </strong>The Honduran grandmother of 15-year-old Kerry Magana arrived at her granddaughter&#8217;s bedside at Children&#8217;s Mercy Hospital on Thursday night.</p><p>Kerry is in critical condition, fighting lung problems and other grave ailments related to leukemia. Her family had tried for months to gain a visa so that the grandmother could visit and help Kerry&#8217;s single mother through this time. The visa finally was granted based on humanitarian appeals.