Community Corner

Give Thanks, Get Good Deals, Give to Non-Profits

More than 60 non-profits in Bucks County have joined together to promote Giving Tuesday, an opportunity for holiday shoppers to wash away the consumerism of Black Friday.

After muscling through the crowded department store aisles on Black Friday and getting cramped fingers while browsing retail websites on Cyber Monday, holiday shoppers might be looking to make a random act of kindness to cleanse the palate of the consumerism blitzkrieg. 

That's the hope for the more than 60 Bucks County non-profit organization's that have joined together to participate in Giving Tuesday on Dec. 3. Local charities that serve everybody from the poor and homeless to sick children and local artists have formed a coalition to urge the general public to give a little back to the community.

Donations can be made right now on the Giving Tuesday Bucks website that has been created for free by IQnection, a Doylestown-based web-design/marketing firm. Simply go to thelist of participating non-profits, click on the 'Give Now' button, which will take you to each organizations donation page, and make an electronic payment.

Money will be accepted at anytime, but the big push is to attract those bargain hunters looking to come down from the retail battles from Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

"Basically, we want everybody to give thanks on Thursday, get good deals, then give back to the non-profits," said Melissa Mantz, Development Director forthe Bucks County Housing Group. We like to use Mother Theresa's quote, 'If you can't feed 100 people, feed just one.'"

The Giving Tuesday Bucks steering committee reached out to non-profits throughout the county to urge their participation. Friday is the last day that organizations can sign up to join the effort. Those interested must be a registered 501 (c)3 non-profit, have services in Bucks County and be able to accept online donations on the webpage.

Partnered by the Bucks County Herald, Giving Tuesday Bucks is a charitable effort inspired by last year's success by the 92nd Street Y in New York and other organizations that raised more than $10 million in donations around the country. The coalition of local non-profits reflects a spirit of cooperation from charities that rely heavily on private donations for funding.

"This is not a competition to see who can raise the most," said Mantz. "We have all embraced the spirit of camaraderie. We've become more open about sharing event schedules with each other to prevent conflicts. We give each other advice about who to use for certain projects. It's a very supportive team."

Mantz has been with the Bucks County Housing Group since 1999, helping develop strategies to help poor and homeless families cope with making ends meet. The organization operates homeless shelters and low income housing throughout the county and food pantries in Milford Square, Penndel and Doylestown.

There has been a 30 percent increase in consumption at the food pantries since last year, Mantz says, and she expects that number to rise with the cutbacks to the federal SNAP program and the termination of long-term unemployment benefits in February.

"We get a lot of donations during the holidays," said Mantz, "but people need to realize that hunger doesn't know a season. We need to get through the rest of the year."

Giving Tuesday Bucks begins on Dec. 3. Donations can be made right now by clicking on a participating non-profit and navigating to the organization's website. Nov. 15 is the last day that 501(c)3 charities can register with the coalition.


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