The Giving Challenge – A Community with a Heart

Some of you may have heard of the Giving Challenge, which is a two-day matching gift program supported by the Patterson Foundation that takes place April 15 and 16 this year. Essentially, any contribution between $25 up to $100 will be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis for any number of charities/social service agencies that you choose to support. At last count, there were over 700 organizations participating in the Giving Challenge – a very impressive number dedicated to making life on this earth a little more bearable for the less fortunate.

Some of the organizations operating in Manatee County include: Turning Points, which is a “soup to nuts” operation in downtown Bradenton that provides access to almost any type of social service that you can imagine including: job search, laundry, temporary housing, utility/rental assistance, legal ID, and dental/medical services. If they don't provide it, they will help you find the service you need.

Other well-known social service groups include: Our Daily Bread/Loaves and Fishes which as the name suggests serves a hot meal on a daily basis between 10 and 11:30 each morning at its downtown location as well a well-stocked food pantry providing groceries twice a week. Last year, ODB served 79,678 meals and handed out 4,370 bags of groceries. As a side note, both of these organizations utilize a lot of volunteer help, and I can personally attest that it is a lot of fun and personally fulfilling to work on the daily serving line on a regular monthly basis.

Other organizations providing essential services include: Centerstone which serves the addicted and mentally ill, Women's Resource Center in support of women in a difficult home environment, Salvation Army which we all know and have respect for their long-standing food and residential support of the less fortunate, Boys and Girls Clubs of Manatee County offering multiple education, career counseling and athletic activities for our youth, Safe Children Coalition that offers safe haven and support for kids living in an unsafe environment, Habitat for Humanity which has built many homes here in Manatee County for low-income families, Help to Home which offers time-limited housing and financial planning support, Goodwill which offers below market prices on apparel and home goods as well as providing employment opportunities, Career Source Suncoast which helps with job training and employment, Roser Church food pantry which provides groceries to island residents, Harvest House which provides counseling and temporary housing for the homeless, Stillpoint Mission operating in the downtown area which provides help with utilities and free food and finally, Suncoast Waterkeepers which monitors the waters in our area to protect against flooding and water pollution.

To be sure, there are many others worthy of your support, and I urge you to go to the Giving Challenge website on April 15 and 16, and show your heart for our community.

Mike Meehan, CFA, MBA