With minimal fanfare, in last week’s editions the Hood River News and our fellow Gorge newspapers rolled out the 2020 Gorge Giving guide, an annual tradition over the past five years.
The guide is an important part of what we do, because it represents so many partners who work to make the community strong. While Gift Guide was issued in the Dec. 14 newspaper, keep in mind that the publication is available, and of service, all year.
More than 50 non-profits are spotlighted in the annual guide, made possible through the sponsorship of the same number of businesses.
In part, the guide is published in late fall in order to offer ideas for end-of-year giving, for practical tax purposes.
The guide is also timed to join in the strong sense of generosity people naturally feel in November and December as society communally gives thanks and thinks of ways to give back.
Giving as a strategy is just as valid as giving purely out of care and interest in doing so; the latter is generally part and parcel to the former. The recipients listed in Gorge Giving don’t look for such distinctions, and any form of giving is welcome to these groups serving needs including health, nutrition, education, culture, young people, the elderly, shelter, literacy, wellness, employment services, housing, and protection from abuse.
“The beauty of a place can be measured by the compassion of its community,” is how one sponsor describes the relationship.
The guide says “2020” for a reason; Gorge Giving is a year-round resource for the Gorge, just as the need for giving is a year-round reality.
Pick up a copy at the Hood River News, The Dalles Chronicle, White Salmon Enterprise, or check with participating businesses and non-profits’ offices.
We encourage readers to look to the resource at any time in 2020 they find themselves in a position to give monetarily, or in other ways. Not everyone can give funds, and many folks give in other ways, via their time and talents.
The guide is also an informative resource for learning about valuable programs and services in the community. It provides a well-rounded picture of the myriad concerns taken on by organizations all around us — organizations that depend upon community giving or participation.
Gorge Giving contains plenty of information about how to give in whatever way you can; each entry lists mission and vision, program overview, who’s involved, key dates, and giving opportunities such as volunteer-supported events or projects, fundraisers where $10 or $20 and your presence can go a long way toward fulfilling a mission or lifting spirits.
In 2020, remember that sometimes the best way to give is just showing up.
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