It’s #givingtuesday and there will be a lot of competition for your attention (and your dollars) today. At the Northampton Survival Center, we aren’t launching a fancy campaign or making a big end-of-year push for fundraising. Instead, I’m spontaneously writing to tell you this: hunger is an everyday issue and organizations like the Center have to raise funds year-round so that we can provide our neighbors with food year-round.
As lovely as it is to have a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving, it’s every bit as important to have a filling breakfast on Friday morning. Hunger doesn’t stop after the holiday rush is over. Kids need lunch on the weekends. Senior citizens need fresh produce at the end of the month when money is tight. Parents who have their kids every other week need to make sure there’s food in the house when the kids are. Hunger is still an issue on Tuesdays and in April and in your neighborhood and across the globe. We all eat. We all need healthy food.
What does a client of a food pantry look like? They look like you. They’re young professionals and moms with young kids and working families and elderly widowers. They’re folks with mobility issues and perfectly working bodies and mental health challenges. Most are working. Some are unable to. They mostly live in homes and apartments. Sometimes they’re doubled up or couch surfing or living with friends. Sometimes they’re unhoused. Sometimes they drive expensive-looking cars. Sometimes they don’t have transportation. But if your first thought of someone using our services is of a dirty person living in a box, think again.
We combat the stereotypes of homelessness and low-income lifestyles every day by providing our clients with nutritious food in an atmosphere of dignity and respect. This means allowing folks to choose the groceries they’ll eat, rather than providing them with a box of randomly packed groceries. It means making sure the food is good quality and within its date. It means giving out full-sized toiletries whenever possible. It means building relationships with the clients we serve so that we can help them to the best of our ability for as long as they need us.
And that’s why, whether you choose to donate money, time, or goods to a nonprofit today, I hope you choose a cause you care about and think about how similar we (nonprofits and people alike) all really are. Donating to a nonprofit is an investment in your community—an investment that, of course, helps whatever population the nonprofit targets, but also helps you.
I implore you to make good choices today and support the nonprofits that strengthen our community. If the Northampton Survival Center is on your list, you can make a gift online at https://lnkd.in/eTeeE_vk. And know that I (and our clients) will be incredibly grateful.
#foodsecurity #neighborshelpingneighbors #fromtheheart
Thank you for the support! 🍎 🧡