GivingTuesday, celebrated on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, was started in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y in New York City, as a way to encourage people to give back in their daily lives – from donating to nonprofits to volunteering at local community centers.
It isn’t only putting the burden on the wealthy to make a difference, the Giving Tuesday website emphasizes, “While many call on philanthropists, policymakers and grantmakers to repair broken systems, GivingTuesday recognizes that we each can drive an enormous amount of positive change by rooting our everyday actions, decisions and behavior in radical generosity—the concept that the suffering of others should be as intolerable to us as our own suffering. Radical generosity invites people in to give what they can to create systemic change.”
Now an international phenomenon, GivingTuesday emphasizes that taking action on this day shouldn’t be just an annual event, or only about donating money. “You can give – each Tuesday and every day – whether it’s some of your time, a donation, or the power of your voice in your local community,” the nonprofit stresses.
Need ideas? Here’s a few:
1) Give flowers or a box of candy to the shut-in on your block. On almost every street in Pacific Palisades, there’s one elderly person who would be overjoyed to receive an unexpected gift — and a short visit.
2)Give to the Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness (visit:pptfh.org).
3) Make a food donation to the Westside Food Bank.
4) Give a food or a gift card to the people who work for you on a weekly basis (gardeners or cleaning people).
5) Help a local school with a donation.
6) Try to be nice to people you don’t agree with.