Consider these charitable ways to brighten someone's day | Kulick
Here we all are turning the calendar to the last month of 2023. I’ve heard it from all sectors of the “world”: “Where did the year go?” It seems like yesterday that the calendar page ushered in a new year. Wondering if the year was all that you hoped it would be? Thanksgiving behind us, all the holiday festivities have begun.
This is the month of the holiday parties, the seasonal concerts, baking with the aroma of cookies galore, the feast with the family and friends, and sales, yes, the end of year sales. The rush to get all the gifts and still stay on budget is an eternal challenge for sure.
But before we completely move onto the new month, it’s a good time to remember that Nov. 28 is Giving Tuesday. This is a holiday that takes place every Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the U.S. It's viewed as a fundraising opportunity which started in 2012 as a project of the 92nd Street Y and the organization GivingTuesday became an independent nonprofit in 2020.
Many non-profits encourage support that day as well. Visiting a favorite non-profit’s website may provide you with an opportunity that day. In Monroe County, the Pocono Mountains United Way is hosting a Giving Tuesday Wine & Cheese fundraiser on Nov. 28 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Donors are invited to stop by, enjoy and donate while you are there. (Questions: Call 570-500-0521.)
The start of the month will have tree lighting events virtually everywhere! Townships and downtowns always put on a great event for families to enjoy. The addition of some travel-through light shows to the Poconos and Northeast PA give families a chance to get out and enjoy the season. The new tram trail at Shawnee Inn, Shawnee-on-Delaware, and the new drive-through event at Poconos Park, Bushkill, both join places like the Scranton light shows.
A different kind of light event is one that has now become an annual event at St. John’s Church on Milford Road, Middle Smithfield Township. Their “Light the Night” event on Dec. 10 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. is also adding a “Food Tasting” to the night to promote their new church cookbook. There is no cost for the event.
The month of December often leads into the look-back at the work done in the past year for many organizations. The Pocono Mountains United Way is no different. While the organization works throughout the year with the support of many individuals, companies and other organizations, it takes time in December to provide a “Report to the Community.”
The event will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 13, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Northampton Community College in Tannersville. The work done throughout the year lays the groundwork for the following year’s investment in the community. To reserve a seat, contact United Way at 570-243-6684.
The bells are back and ringing around the country and certainly in Northeast Pennsylvania for the Salvation Army Red Kettle campaigns! That little bit of loose change, a dollar or two, goes a long way after it is dropped into the kettles often tended by volunteers from various community organizations. An early thank you goes out to both the donors and the bell ringers!
As it is the season of giving, there are programs that make children happy all over the world. Drop a toy off in one of the Toys for Tots boxes in your community and help the U.S. Marines brighten a child’s holiday. Or support Samaritan’s Purse by dropping off donations for Operation Christmas Child which provides gifts in a shoebox to children around the world.
You may not have to look far to find an Angel Christmas tree where you pick up a slip with a child’s request. Remember some of the other sometimes forgotten folks around the holidays. Check with your local Meals on Wheels and see what donations might be helpful for their recipients or with your local Foster Care agency. No matter where you look, you have the chance, even in the smallest way, to make someone’s day brighter this December!
Debbie Kulick is an EMT who writes a weekly news column for the Pocono Record.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Giving Tuesday, other charitable opportunities coming up | Kulick
