The Souris Valley United Way is among organizations that are encouraging people to give to charity on Nov. 27.
Stacy Nordstrom, campaign coordinator at the United Way in Minot, said "Giving Tuesday" is a nationwide campaign. Organizations took a look at the hype surounding Black Friday, the big shopping day after Thanksgiving, and Cyber Monday, a big day for shopping online, and decided that this would be a good opportunity to put the giving back in the holiday season.
"Giving Tuesday is about putting heart back into the holidays and remembering everyone in the community," said Patricia Smith, executive director of the Souris Valley United Way. "Souris Valley United Way is encouraging people to dedicate this day to getting back to the true meaning of the holidays. It is about community not commercialism, giving not receiving."
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A volunteer works at the Salvation Army Food Pantry, one of the 26 organizations that receive funding from the Souris Valley United Way. The Souris Valley United Way has joined a national campaign called Giving Tuesday to encourage people to donate to charitable organizations on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving.
The United Way promotes a number of ways of participating in Giving Tuesday.
People can make a monetary donation to the Souris Valley United Way, which supports 26 local programs in Minot. Different programs help people by providing books for children, financial advice to those in need and hot meals to the homebound. People can make a donation using the Souris Valley United Way's secure website at (www.svunitedway.com) or by calling 701-839-2994.
People can also talk with their children about the value of generosity and giving to others. Parents can help kids organize a project that raises money for a charity or help out in other ways.
"Our area has a strong tradition of giving back," said Smith. "It's my hope Giving Tuesday will become a new, sustainable American tradition that we will celebrate every year."
Nordstrom said she will also join in efforts to publicize Giving Tuesday on social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter. More than 1,400 organizations nationwide are taking part.