RICHMOND, Va. -- You don't have to wait until December 2020 to participate in Giving Tuesday.
Tuesday, May 5 was named 'Giving Tuesday Now' around the globe, as an emergency response to the need due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The goal is to help struggling non-profits, and establish a day for unity and generosity.
President and CEO of United Way of Greater Richmond, James Taylor, said United Way is the umbrella over local non-profits -- and there are 9,000 of them in the Central Virginia area.
He said many of these nonprofits have felt the impact of the pandemic, and the social distancing requirements that have caused them to have to shut their doors.
"If you’re not actually able to administer your services, whether it’s something like an adult daycare or child care or event museums, you’re dealing with how do you maintain your operations? How do you get your staffing managed if you have to furlough or lay people off? Can you get them back when it’s time to reopen? How do you get everything back up and running? That’s the kind of conversations we’re having," said Taylor.
There are many ways to get involved in 'Giving Tuesday Now,' like donating supplies to healthcare workers, giving to a favorite organization, or buying a gift-card from a local business.
However, Taylor said giving back doesn't necessarily require making a monetary donation.
"Social isolation is a significant challenge for older adults on any given day, and just having a conversation with those folks can go a long way," said Taylor. "But you can also offer to go to the grocery store or pick up prescriptions."
"If you have a favorite restaurant, think about your take-out opportunities there, or if you have a store you really want to be visiting at some point but they’re not open, think about making that gift card purchase for them to have the revenue in hand to manage that," Taylor added.
Some organizations made statements about their goals for 'Giving Tuesday Now.'
For instance, The Richmond Animal League hoped to raise $7,820 dollars to cover the cost of the 34 pets they’ve taken in — just in the last month.
The Richmond SPCA said they would be matching gifts up to $2,500 for donations that would go towards hundreds of infant kittens depending on them.
Those interested in making a donation to one of the thousands of non-profit organizations in the Richmond-area can do so at UnitedWay.org.
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