Now that you’ve braved the Black Friday crowds, spurred on the Small Business Saturday economy and slayed the Cyber Monday deals, it’s time to spread the spending love.
Nov. 28 is Giving Tuesday, the annual event that encourages people to embrace the spirit of generosity and contribute to charitable causes.
Like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday also makes your dollar go farther at the Freestore Foodbank.
“We have buying capacity that helps us leverage more food with less money,” said Nicki Roe, communications director at Freestore Foodbank. “The more money we are able to raise, the more impact of food we can get.”
This year, matching donors are making it possible for the Freestore to double each donation.
“Every $1 you give will be matched to make double the impact, thanks to a generous $310,000 matching gift from our friends at Sycamore Capital and our generous Second Helping Fund donors,” according to Freestore’s website. “That means every $10 you give provides up to 60 nourishing meals.”
The Freestore Foodbank stands as a crucial pillar of support in the fight against hunger and food insecurity in Hamilton County and other neighboring counties. Through a network of partner agencies and direct distribution programs, Freestore provides nutritious meals to individuals and families facing economic challenges.
“We’re at about 200,000 people in our service area who we consider food insecure. Those are people who aren’t sure where they’re going to get their next meal,” Roe said. “With that, 60,000 of those are kids.”
For kids who depend on school-provided meals, Freestore has a program to keep kids’ bellies full during the holiday break.
“We have a power pack program that goes to schools,” she said. “Those kids get an extra ‘power pack,’ and its food to get through the weekend. Then during spring break, Christmas break, Thanksgiving break, they get extra stuff. They know they’ll get some nutrition, some protein to get through the weekend, get through the week.”
Donations will also help to keep Freestore’s newest market stocked for the holiday season.
“Our new market B. Taylor opened Nov. 1. It is a choice pantry. It’s set up so that people can come in twice a month, January through October, and November and December they can come in once a month. With that we give them some extra stuff for the holidays. Everyone that comes in gets a Turkey or a Ham, depending on our stock.”
To make a donation, check out freestorefoodbank.org. You can make a one-time donation or contribute monthly.
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This article appears in Nov 15-28, 2023.