The Best Thing You Can Do Today: Be a Hunger Hero 

Contrary to misconceptions (mine, to be exact, until I learned more about it), Giving Tuesday isn’t a Facebook gimmick; it was initiated by the 92nd St. Y and the United Nations Foundation in 2012 as a counter to the consumerist bent of the other big shopping “days” on Friday (Black) and Monday (Cyber). But Facebook has signed on big-time to the Giving Tuesday movement; as of this morning, Facebook and Pay Pal had already met their goal of matching Facebook fundraisers to a total of $7 million. 

Here’s where the St. Petersburg Free Clinic comes in. (Full disclosure; I’m a new board member at the organization.) Contrary to another misconception (again, mine, until I got schooled), the St. Pete Free Clinic is not just about health care. It’s a multi-service, independent, not-for-profit human services agency that’s been providing assistance with food, shelter and health care since 1970.

And today, on Giving Tuesday, your donation of $200 can ensure a child receives weekend food through the Free Clinic’s Pack-A-Sack program for an entire school year. Why weekend food? Because children who receive free or reduced-price meals at school may not be assured of regular meals when they’re home for the weekend — and two food-deprived days could set them back severely by the time they’re back in school on Monday.

Donate directly to the Free Clinic’s Giving Tuesday page — or donate via Facebook on the Free Clinic’s Facebook fundraiser page or a board member’s fundraiser page (like mine).

Give today and make a lasting difference in a child’s life.