It’s that time of the year when people go out of their way to assist those who are having a difficult time. As we roll into the holiday season, the number of food drives, events to help the homeless and more causes looking to provide a Christmas worth remembering for the less fortunate seem to increase each day. But it never ceases to amaze us just how much the West Shore community continues to step up to help each other and those less fortunate. The gift of giving is a noble pursuit, and it’s commendable how many local charities and organizations get a boost not only at this time, but throughout the year.
The end of November underlines the fact that we’re now charging full spend ahead into a season that’s become a blur of commercials and shopping frenzy. You can’t miss the reminders about Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Boxing Day, and sometimes that makes it easy to forget all about giving to those who aren’t able to afford the basics, let alone take advantage of sales.
Fortunately, there’s Giving Tuesday, which lands on Nov. 28 this year and is a fairly new and novel approach to reminding us of the importance of taking the time to get help to where it’s needed the most.
Following on the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday provides the perfect opportunity to pay forward some of the savings from the sales that we just took advantage of.
You can do that by donating to a favourite charity in your community, or choose an organization that has more of a global impact.
On the West Shore we have groups that range from the Royal Canadian Legion, which supports veterans and our local schools, to Jeneece Place, which provides a place to stay for families with children receiving medical treatment, and we even have a wide range of groups that help animals.
There’s no shortage of organizations that will put the donations they receive to good use, whatever you decide.