Now that Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday is behind us, it’s all about “Giving Tuesday.” If you’re not familiar with Giving Tuesday, it’s an international day for people to give donations or meals to charity and other non-profitable organizations as a way to give back to the community.
There is a variety of Giving Tuesday events going on in local communities all over the country. Below you will find some of the local events taking place that can give you the opportunity to make a difference in your own community, which is a great way to get into the holiday giving spirit.
Giving Tuesday Local Events
Missouri
If you live in Missouri, you can give back to your local community by visiting ozarksfoodharvest.org/donate. There are many families that have difficulties putting a meal on their table each day. In fact, one in six adults and one in four children in Ozark, Missouri go hungry each day.
By donating just $10, you can provide 50 meals. You don’t have to be from Missouri to give; anyone can venture to the website and offer a donation for those families in need.
Last year the campaign raised $4,000, which is quite a lot for a single-day fundraiser. Spokesperson for the Ozarks Food Harvest, Christine Temple, explained to the News-Leader, “We saw that last year, for instance, almost half of the people who donated on Giving Tuesday were new donors or not our regular donors.
So we engaged more people in the community by participating in the campaign.”
Temple said that for every dollar donated, 96 cents goes directly to feeding programs.
Another local program going on is called On Angels’ Wings, which is offering free photography of children in the NICU for families with children with possibly fatal diseases. Founder of On Angels’ Wings, Michelle Cramer, explained, “Donations help us to provide for the needs of our families — our board of directors and photographers are all volunteer.
We provide heartbeat lambs to the local hospitals to record a baby’s heartbeat when a possibly terminal diagnosis is given the womb (and are in need of more). We send birthday gifts to the children or memorial gifts to our recipient families on the anniversary of a loss.
We provide packets to families with resources and help when there is a birth loss. We provide care bags to our families who have an extended stay in the hospital for their child’s care. When a family has a financial need, we do what we can to help.”
To donate to On Angels’ Wings, please visit www.flyfreelittleone.org.
Oregon
The Marion Polk Food Share is also going on which is a 24-hour campaign to support Meals on Wheels. For $35 a home-bound senior can receive a meal delivered directly to their home. To donate you can visit www.marionpolkfoodshare.org.
The Salem Police Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization in Oregon, is also taking partaking in Giving Tuesday. Last year the foundation raised $1.8 million to give out to over 700 nonprofits. This year the goal is $3.5 million, and the group wants to reach out to over 1,000 nonprofits and touch 36 Oregon counties all within a 24-hour period.
The United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley is collecting donations to support Change the Odds campaign. To donate, visit www.unitedwaymwv.org/give/online.
Evergreen Charitable Trust and Catalog of Giving helps nonprofits fulfill their wish lists. Donors can specify what ticket item they wish their donation goes to in order to help their chosen charity. You can visit www.statesmanjournal.com/giving to see what wish list items are on the list to donate to.
These are just some of the charities you can donate to or visit this Giving Tuesday. There are events going all over, so you can easily find a charity that best suits your needs, too.
Sources:
“How to help,” Ozarks Food Harvest website, https://ozarksfoodharvest.org/events/giving-tuesday-2016/, last accessed November 28, 2016.
Pate, N., “Get ready for Giving Tuesday,” Statesman Journal website, November 27, 2016; http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2016/11/25/get-ready-giving-tuesday/94433326/, last accessed November 28, 2016.
