December Starts the Joy of Giving

Women Owned Wednesdays

Giving

The month of December brings many themes, holidays, and
activities. One activity that is near
and dear to not only my heart but GACOs is the act of giving. Giving has many faces. It can be a donation of your time, your
money, or someone else’s money, making food, serving food, and collecting
food. It can be as simple as dropping a $20
bill in a red bucket or a much-needed good old fashion mitten drive. To me, part of living and working in a
community is also giving back to that community. According to an article from Insider, “A 2017
report from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute noted that people are happier
overall when they give to others and that the more they do or give, the happier
they tend to be. It’s simply referred to
as “the joy of giving.”

Grateful

Donating our time or money brings joy not only to our community but ourselves. Something I think about often is that giving is better than receiving. As we get older, we realize that material possessions do not make us truly happy but helping others can. Charity work makes us feel better about ourselves, helps us connect to others, increases our understanding of the importance of gratitude and being grateful for what we have, and finds purpose this holiday season. So, this holiday season, we chose the Detroit-based non-profit, Mittens for Detroit.

Gratitude

Mittens for Detroit collects, purchases, and distributes new mittens to people in need in Detroit and surrounding cities. Their biggest collection season runs from October to the middle of January. Since being founded in 2010, they have collected over 250,000 pairs of mittens and gloves. Once collected and sorted, they will be distributed to over 100 agencies, schools, shelters, food pantries, senior centers, and many more. On January 12, 2023, GACO will drop off our collected mittens and participate in The Big Sort. We will get a true farm-to-table experience from collecting, donating, sorting, and disturbing mittens. It will make both our hearts and hands warm. I encourage you this holiday season to give back to your community. Drop by GACO with a few new, warm, and durable mittens. It is never too late to get involved.

Below are a few of my favorite mittens and gloves. Being born and raised in Michigan, I have learned you can never have enough mittens. Here are the ones that keep your hands warm during any activity when that temperature drops below freezing.