I am not a merit source, but I will keep supporting as many as I can with the little merit I earn around the forum, as long as the user in question is not a spammer/shit poster, then he or she doesn't have to be stagnant in rank.
As I said, this is a problem that will actually make it harder for you to distribute more merit on participant applications. But that's okay, because you can still expect generosity from a merit source or users like me to contribute to this thread. 
It is very kind of you and thank you very much. I'm very happy for reaching my new rank on the forum. I hope that I can manage to improve my post quality more in proportion to my rank from now on. 
You deserve it, that's why I'm here. Apart from that, you also shouldn't forget that there is one more rank above you right now that you can also achieve, but I think it will require you to work even harder than before. Wish you luck to get there sooner.