Giving Tuesday Turns Holiday Focus from Having to Helping

In honor of Giving Tuesday— the altruistic counterpart to Gray Thursday, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday—YouGiveGoods is making it easy to give and to fight hunger.

Starting Tuesday and running through the end of December, the Mendham-based organization is running an online Fresh Produce campaign for "food insecure" people in New York, Long Island, New Jersey and Philadelphia, the more than 3 million people who don't know where they will get their next meal. 

Other challenges facing the food-insecure include struggling to afford canned goods and dollar menu items, finding nutritious food for their families, dealing with health issues from having to eat low-nutrient/high-fat foods or trying to construct a holiday meal out of whatever the food pantry has in stock.  

YouGiveGoods challenges the region to help in a new way, to give healthy, nutrient-rich foods to those working to make ends meet and be well using its online platform. Donors need only go the site, choose the group or region they wish to help, and then buy the items they feel will help the most. YouGiveGoods will handle the rest. 

The group says no donation is too small or inconsequential. According to its website, if everyone provided just one food item this holiday season, food-insecure people would have access to enough fresh produce to last for months.

Begin donating on Giving Tuesday and YouGiveGoods says you'll help our community become healthier and realize its full potential.