I would like to thank Joseph Blumenthal for his March 7 letter “It’s OK for people to have more than they need,” responding to Jon Huer’s Feb. 27 guest column [“When giving is only false charity”], which disparaged philanthropists. I had been seething about that column since it was printed.

Ironically, the week it appeared, there was an article in The New York Times about Dr. Ruth Gottesman, a 93-year-old widow who donated $1 billion to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx to cover tuition for all students in perpetuity. Dr. Gottesman said her donation would enable new doctors to begin their careers without medical school debt, which often exceeds $200,000. She also hoped it would broaden the student body to include people who could not otherwise afford to go to medical school.

Just like the rest of us, billionaires have choices about how they spend their money. You and I can choose to spend our money on lottery tickets and cigarettes, or to provide healthy food and activities for our families, or to support organizations in which we believe. Billionaires can spend their money on golden toilets and private planes, or they can use it to help others.

As Mr. Blumenthal wisely pointed out, many wonderful not-for-profit organizations in our valley would not exist without the generosity of philanthropists. To his list I would add Dakin Humane Society and the Kestrel Trust, both of which were founded and are supported by local philanthropists.

Looking beyond our valley, in August 2010, 40 of America’s wealthiest people made a commitment to give much of their largesse to address some of society’s most pressing problems. Created by Warren Buffett, Melinda French Gates, and Bill Gates, the Giving Pledge today has more than 240 members from around the world — billionaires and those who would be if they weren’t giving so much of their wealth away.

Through their Gates Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates have pledged $100 million to the Global Fund to fight life-threatening diseases. Even for the Gateses, that isn’t chump change.

Since its inception, health programs supported by the Global Fund have provided prevention, treatment, and care services to hundreds of millions of people. In the U.S., the Gates Foundation provides education and access to technology for low-income communities.

I would encourage Mr. Huer to look around him. And, if he isn’t already, maybe volunteer to help one of the many wonderful not-for-profit organizations in our valley, many of which survive because of the largesse and generosity of donors large and small. Incidentally, Dr. Gottesman originally wanted her gift to be anonymous but was persuaded by school officials that her generosity might inspire others to support medical students in the pursuit of careers to help others.

Marianne Gambaro lives in Belchertown.