Tomorrow is “Giving Tuesday,” a holiday designed to balance out the self-absorbed madness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. On this day, business, charities, communities, and families enter into the spirit of giving. EVERYONE can participate. If not with our wallets, then with our excess food in our pantries or the second Buy-one/Get-One-Free item. With that like-new clothing we loved when we bought it but know we’ll never wear. With those toys our kids opened Christmases ago but sit in their boxes, un-played with. With blankets and rain ponchos for the homeless who are about to be caught in what promises to be a harsh winter. Or simply with the gift of our time: to help at a shelter or soup kitchen; to visit a lonely elder in a nursing home; to comfort a grieving family; to be with a troubled child. I hope Giving Tuesday expands to Giving Everyday. Besides, the spirit of this day turns the madness into a loving anticipation of a Christmas season packed with all the meaning it’s supposed to have.
Tag Archive for giving
How Big the Gift?
Today’s Thursday Thought sheds some light on the act of giving and the size of the gift.
25 of the Worst Charities
We’re entering the season of giving, the season when we’re most generous and open to those needing help. Therefore, it’s the season to be particularly careful. Think twice before giving in to knocks on your door, phone calls, and collectors-for-charities outside your supermarket.
Unfortunately, the season of love is also prime season for scams.
Last December, in my blog “Don’t be Charitable to Scammers,” I offered ideas to help you make sure your money goes to a reputable place who will help people in need or suffering terrible illness. Today I suggest you go to a site that lists the top 25 terrible “charities”–some you may have heard about, some who may be calling on you soon. This site also gives suggestions to avoid scams, including some from the IRS.
Before you give another penny, please go to http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/11/13/1449096/-25-of-America-s-worst-charities-plus-tips-on-how-to-avoid-getting-scammed?detail=email.
No-Cost Giving
“Giving Tuesday” is a great idea and doesn’t have to cost a cent. In fact, it’s a day that can easily be spread throughout the year. Here’s how:
Everyone has one or two hours. True, we may have to steal them from a television program or that yard work that should be done. It’s okay to re-prioritize every once in awhile, though. Let those two hours make a difference. Hand out shampoo and food at fairs held for the homeless in your community. Give blood through the Red Cross or a local hospital. Work toward wiping out a disease and, meanwhile, care for the sick, by distributing contribution envelopes to neighbors for the Cancer Society or Heart Association. Serve a meal at a soup kitchen during a non-holiday season, when volunteers are scarce. Sort through those newborn items your baby outgrew before wearing them and give them to the church’s layette program. Pick up people without transportation and bring them to an appointment or grocery shopping. Use your imagination; you’ll figure out other way to help people in need. It could be called “Closed-Wallet Giving.” What it is, though, is “Open-Hearted Giving”—giving of yourself.