It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The holidays are upon us. You and your neighbors might be anticipating the arrival of family and friends to celebrate with. The kids will soon be home for Thanksgiving break, then winter break.
But here’s the thing: not everyone looks forward to the holidays and not everyone is celebrating. Unfortunately, the need in our community is real … poverty, homelessness, hunger, lack of opportunity, lack of resources, illness, disabilities and addiction. The good news is our local nonprofits work every day to help. 
On Tuesday, #GivingTuesdayCLT, presented by Wells Fargo, kicks off. For two full weeks Charlotte nonprofits, neighbors and nearly 100 local businesses and community partners will come together for one reason: to give GOOD! Together our goal is to raise $10 million for 235 Charlotte-area nonprofits who work tirelessly investing in our community every single day.
The organizations range from homeless shelters to food pantries to pediatric cancer research foundations to museums and theater groups. They help homeless pets and wild animals and work hard to preserve our environment for future generations. They are amazing, they are right here in Charlotte and our focus needs to turn to them during the next two weeks more than ever. You can see who they are right here.
Here’s how to get involved:
Kickoff Party @ Unknown Brewing Co. – Join us Tuesday, Nov. 14 from 7-10 p.m. at Unknown Brewing Co. for a Kickoff Party complete with a beer tasting and Celebration of Local GOOD(s). Nine local breweries will be sampling beers and ciders custom brewed for the occasion ($10 donation to participate in the tasting) and local vendors and nonprofit organizations will be selling jewelry, art, t-shirts, pet treats, cheesecake and much, much more with proceeds going to support the campaign. Come out and bring your friends!
Shop at Kendra Scott – Beat the Black Friday madness and head to Kendra Scott at South Park Mall on Saturday, Nov. 18 from 12-3 p.m. and shop, shop, shop! A portion of all sales during that window will be donated to #GivingTuesdayCLT’s General Fund which is equally distributed among all participating nonprofits.
Give Blood – The American Red Cross is partnering with the YMCA of Greater Charlotte to host a community-wide blood drive Nov. 26-28 in hopes of collecting more than 500 pints of blood!
#GivingTuesdayCLT Headquarters – Step inside the #GivingTuesdayCLT nerve center on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28 at Google Fiber! The energy is contagious and there will be puppies, and some other special guests. There will be on-site volunteer activities and great conversation.
Giving Makes Me Happy Hour – Can’t make it to Google Fiber? Join us the evening of Nov. 28, from 5-7 p.m. at 7th Street Market for a celebration of the giving season. There’ll be food, beverages, live music, raffles you won’t want to miss and more opportunities to give!
#GivingTuesdayCLT is Charlotte’s local #GivingTuesday effort, uniting more than 230 local nonprofits. Visit givingtuesdayclt.org Nov. 14-28 to donate money, time or goods to help make Charlotte stronger.
