Small Business match on tap for final Christmas Bureau Giving Tuesday
THANK YOU to everyone that has made a gift to this year’s Christmas Bureau program! Due to COVID-19, this year’s Christmas Bureau looks different and has required an unprecedented fundraising campaign. Since kicking off the campaign at the beginning of the month, you have given over $28,000 to the Christmas Bureau! That’s enough to provide gift cards to 1,866 individuals in our community who need them most.
We kicked this month off with a lofty goal of raising $90,000 in order to provide an anticipated 6,000 individuals with a holiday meal and a $15 gift card. It appears that even though the need still appears great, far fewer people applied for help from Christmas Bureau this year. When we were able to finalize and confirm numbers this week, the total came to 3,565. In speaking with other United Ways around the country, it appears that Christmas Bureau is not alone in experiencing this decline in applications for holiday assistance. Because the number of people who applied to Christmas Bureau was smaller than expected, we are able to lower the amount we need to raise from $90,000 to $55,000. If we can get that done in the next 10 days, we’ll be able to make sure families receive their gift cards with plenty of time to celebrate.
We have turned November into a month of giving for Christmas Bureau, and we have one final Giving Tuesday on November 24! On that day, we will be matching the first $1,000 donated to the Christmas Bureau, thanks to generous contributions from local donors and companies, including Brandon Aldridge State Farm Agency, Jones Advisory Group, and Glory Days Pizza. You can make your gift online at UWGTChristmas.com.