Giving Back On GivingTuesday In Wilsonville: 30 Days Of Gratitude

WILSONVILLE, OR —After a dayslong stretch of shopping and checking holiday gifts off your list, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving offers a moment to pause. It's a day set aside for Wilsonville residents to focus on gratitude and giving back.

GivingTuesday, observed this year on Nov. 30, is a global movement to inspire hundreds of millions of people to not only give, but to recognize and celebrate the generosity of others.

GivingTuesday and its mission also falls effortlessly in with "30 Days Of Gratitude," a Patch series exploring the intentionality of gratitude and how it enriches our lives.

Living with gratitude goes beyond merely being thankful. It doesn't mean pretending bad things don't happen, but rather savoring the goodness, according to experts on the topic, including Robert Emmons, a University of California - Davis psychology professor who is known as the "father of gratitude."

In short, living with gratitude is "an affirmation of goodness" and a recognition of the good in the world as the source of our individual gifts, benefits and blessings.

Gratitude is not singularly focused, Emmons said in a YouTube video for the Greater Good Science Center, but rather recognizes that the sources of goodness are other people who "gave us many gifts, big and small, to help us achieve the goodness in our lives."

What Is GivingTuesday?

GivingTuesday was created in New York City in 2012 with a simple goal: to encourage people to do good. Over the past nine years, the idea has grown into the global movement it is today.

The goal of GivingTuesday is "radical generosity" — the concept that the suffering of others should be as intolerable to us as our own suffering, according to the movement's website.

And people are eager to give. Recent data shows that people are highly motivated to give in 2021 and are giving more in response to needs in their community and to causes they care about.

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A broad range of people and organizations participate in GivingTuesday, including families, nonprofits, schools, religious organizations, small businesses and corporations.

"Whether it's making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts," GivingTuesday's website reads, "and everyone has something to give."

Supporting A Local Organization

While GivingTuesday has gained momentum worldwide, there are plenty of organizations and causes to support right here in Oregon.

Oregon Food Bank said GivingTuesday gifts will help to power its life-changing programs.
"(A total of) 1.7 million people in Oregon requested food assistance this past year. That's double the pre-pandemic rate of hunger—about 1 in 5 of us," the organization said on its website."Together, we have the power to expand food access, build partnerships and create policy change (to help) communities."

The Oregon Humane Society is hosting a Pet Food Bank on GivingTuesday, to help community members who have been financially impacted by rising inflation and COVID-19. With the increased cost of food, fuel and other necessities, more pet owners may be struggling to make ends meet.

"Keeping pets with the people who love them and maintaining that bond is at the heart of our mission," Sharon Harmon, OHS President and CEO told KEX. "By hosting this Pet Food Bank, we hope to give those who are struggling one less thing to worry about this holiday season."

Prefer to give to another cause? Here are a few other organizations you can support this GivingTuesday:

Providence Foundations of Oregon
P.O. Box 3375 Portland, OR 97208
Website

Habitat For Humanity Portland Region
P.O. Box 115271478 NE Killingsworth St. Portland, OR 97211
Website

Ncompass
P.O. Box 1429 Beaverton, OR 97075
Website

Clackamas County Peace Officers' Benevolent Foundation
P.O. Box 678, Clackamas, OR 97015
Website

How You Can Give

You can participate in a number of ways on GivingTuesday, according to the movement's website. Here are a few ideas:

Give time: Volunteer virtually from your home. Give your voice to help raise awareness for a local issue, lend your talents to a nonprofit who needs your expertise, or take an hour to call a senior who may be lonely. See more opportunities online.

Give support: GivingTuesday is locally led in more than 240 U.S. communities, networks and coalitions. Find organizations to support through your local GivingTuesday community movement.

Give gratitude: Thank your postal carrier, delivery driver and other essential workers. Write thank-you cards, post on social media and share your appreciation for the people and organizations who are helping your community.