Rachel White, SHIM’s Development and Communications Manager
What is Giving Tuesday?
Have you heard of Giving Tuesday? This global celebration is dedicated to inspiring all of us to give what we can to help our communities. Following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday offers us a day to think about what we can give to those in need.
What’s wonderful about this movement is that it encourages everyone to give what they can. If you don’t have a lot, volunteer, advocate, or participate in an act of kindness. If you have more than enough, donate to a cause you care about. The impact of our shared generosity has ripple effects as we participate in making a difference together.
What is SHIM doing for Giving Tuesday?
Giving Tuesday, which is December 3, falls in the middle of SHIM’s Give Local. Grow Hope. campaign, which focuses on raising money to support our comprehensive programs. We work to give neighbors a hand up not a handout. To do that, we rely on generous individuals, community groups, foundations, and local governments to provide funding. During our Give Local. Give Hope. campaign, we reach out to neighbors like you to provide financial support for South Hills residents struggling to make ends meet.
Serving 8,500 people with comprehensive services is very expensive! Just like everyone else, we’re seeing higher costs when we purchase food and fuel. We also pay fair wages (which have risen over the last few years) to our amazing staff, who dedicate themselves to helping our program participants. We’ve seen occupancy costs rise significantly, and SHIM is not immune to these increases as we operate multiple programs at several locations.
On Giving Tuesday, we’re hoping to inspire people like you to get involved in spreading awareness about need in the South Hills, finding ways to volunteer, and giving financially to help neighbors meet basic needs and achieve self-sufficiency.
Why do I love Giving Tuesday?
One of my favorite things about being on SHIM’s development team is meeting supporters and hearing why they choose to donate. Some people have very personal connections to the causes they support, and others feel a responsibility to help their neighbors. The great thing about giving is that there is no wrong way to do it!
I love being part of a generous community that values the well-being of all its residents. Living here in the South Hills, I’m blown away by the acts of kindness and support that I witness daily. Since Giving Tuesday is a global celebration, I love feeling that local generosity is being amplified worldwide.
How will you participate in Giving Tuesday?
Whether you want to give time, money, or your voice, we encourage you to spend Giving Tuesday helping locally! You can host a food drive or crowdfunding drive, sign up to volunteer, or give a monetary donation to support vital programs.
If you want to learn more about SHIM, head to our Giving Tuesday Kiosk outside Club Pilates in the Galleria Mall from 12pm-4pm on December 3 where SHIM’s donor relations officer Miranda will be collecting food and financial donations.
No matter what you do, know that you’re participating in a global celebration of generosity!
