This Tuesday, November 29th, is Giving Tuesday 2022!
The Thanksgiving leftovers are eaten and my Turkey Day guests all flew home. I’m at my kitchen table tonight writing this post for Giving Tuesday 2022. My eye catches the red kitchen dish towels hanging on the oven door and I smile.
I love these now worn and somewhat tattered cloths. Certainly, I now have the means to replace them. Yet, I can’t bear to part with them.
Read on and:
- Find out why I’m forever grateful to Giving Tuesday givers.
- Then, let me take the guesswork out of how to support survivors of domestic violence.
Flashback 7 Novembers ago, I was:
- broke,
- owed my divorce attorney (again), and
- scrambling to find a second job that worked around my custody schedule.
The phone rang. It was my case manager at the domestic violence organization where I was receiving advocacy and counseling services.
Hi Gina! I need a Christmas wish list from you and your daughter, Willow!
I was absolutely shocked. Moreover, I didn’t have words to say.
I couldn’t have uttered words even if I did have them. There was a lump in my throat and tears were streaming down my cheeks.
Working full time, I was in the midst of a third custody court battle my narcissistic ex-husband brought on since I’d escaped the abusive marriage just 3 years prior. I’d been frantically searching for a second job where I could work every other week when our then 12 year old daughter was at his house.
I couldn’t make ends meet on an elementary school teacher salary.
At that time, I needed to do something beyond my day job. There was the attorney to pay before he fired me. Plus, I wanted to make sure there were a few small presents for Willow to put under the Christmas tree.
Needless to say, my advocate’s call was an answer to a prayer.
I was so very grateful for the assistance for Willow’s Christmas wish list. I told my advocate not to worry about me. But, she insisted that I put together a Christmas wish list for Willow and for me.
At that time, I still didn’t have kitchen basics. I was using bath hand towels for kitchen dish towels. I asked for dish towels, dishcloths, and a few kitchen utensils. Just some basics was all I needed; things I couldn’t afford to splurge on then.
The day I picked up our gifts from the domestic violence organization, I felt like a kid crashing the North Pole! The agency office was stuffed with packages galore.
The person who shopped for Willow and me was an angel. By and large, they provided everything that we asked for and then some!
In addition to the Christmas wish list gifts, the agency also provided me with gas and grocery gift cards. I can’t express enough how I appreciated the support. That Christmas, I felt so loved.
As I recount that story tonight, my heart is filled all over again all these years later. Because, I’m still in awe of the giving that was involved in making Christmas merry and bright for Willow and me that year.
About Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 as a day to encourage people to do good.
It has grown into a global movement of generosity. You can join the movement by giving of your time, a donation, or the power of your voice in your community. Learn more about the Giving Tuesday movement here.
November 29th is Giving Tuesday. You can help make someone’s Christmas merry and bright by giving, too. Help someone who isn’t quite able to make ends meet.
How to support survivors of domestic violence on Giving Tuesday 2022
Consider making a year-end financial gift to a local domestic violence agency or to one of the national organizations that work to end domestic violence.
Many are nonprofit and your gift may be a tax deduction. Your donation helps these dedicated people continue this important work.
3 Easy Ways to Give
- Give to NCADV (National Coalition to End Domestic Violence) to give at the national level. Or, you can support survivors at the local level.
- Click NNEDV’s ( National Network to End Domestic Violence) Support Survivors and Give for DV to find a local organization near you.
- If you have a local organization in mind: Gas cards, grocery cards, and Visa/MC gift cards are easy ways to donate. You can find items that domestic violence agencies and shelters need for their clients by visiting the wish list page on their website or their Amazon Wishlist page.
However you choose to give, please accept my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to you for sharing your hope, light, and love.
