A New Challenge: 12 Charities in 2011

Posted on January 16, 2011 8 Comments

Between fabulous holiday parties, last-minute Christmas shopping, a marathon cookie bake off, and a general feeling of winter exhaustion, December flew by. I crossed the most pressing items off my to-do list, but some things simply didn’t get done. Like charitable contributions.

Every year in November and December I scramble for my records, trying to determine which worthy charities I’ve supported and those which still need a check. Last year I donated to the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, a Haiti relief fund at Northwestern, a foundation that supports Children’s Memorial Hospital, and my alma mater. I also made clothing donations to the Salvation Army and bought holiday gifts for two foundations in December for “gift angel” programs. There were many other groups I considered supporting but as December flew by, so did the best of my intentions.

Earlier this month while browsing some personal finance blogs, I was excited to find this article by Sallie’s Niece. In it, SN proposes a freaking brilliant idea: donate to one charity each month in 2011. It makes it easier to donate to multiple causes, makes giving a habit and is easy to add into your monthly budget vs. remembering once per year. I really like that using this model I can donate to all my pet charities and still make small gifts to others that I’ve been meaning to investigate.

So for January, I’m donating to a charity that fell off the list in 2010: The Greater Chicago Food Depository. I usually try to give to this charity once per year; I like that it supports local Chicagoans through a network of 650 food pantries. Plus, when I was in school, I volunteered at food pantries and soup kitchens in Chicago and Peoria, so I got a sense for the good they do for their patrons. Even though the economy’s bad, in this city, in this country, no one should have to go hungry. I know my meager gift of $20 won’t go far, but perhaps someone will find a bowl of soup comforting during a cold January night. And perhaps others will be inspired to give to the food depository, too.

As for my food bank, I restocked our pantry this weekend at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Pet Supplies Plus. Here’s the damage: $134 for 43 items at TJ’s, $105 for 37 items at Whole Foods and $43 at Pet Supplies Plus for food and litter. We were really down to empty cabinets here; this shopping trip should last us for at least two weeks, save for replenishing a few fruits and vegetables here and there. On the plus side, after a week of scrounging around our cabinets for odds and ends and eating meals out, we had a great healthy dinner tonight of salad, lemon breaded tilapia, brussel sprouts in olive oil and “mashup” mashed potatoes (purple and white potatoes that looked like cotton candy). Super yummy. I remarked to B today that one benefit of his law school attendance was that I’ve managed to become a good cook! He used to be the one cooking while I burned water, but now that he studies basically 24-7, I’ve taken the opportunity to learn about nutrition, meal plan, and home cook our meals. It’s such a change for the better on my part; now I just need to convince him to eat healthy when I’m not around.

So here’s to keeping bellies full in 2011, whether you’re cooking for yourself, your roommates, your family, or volunteering at or making a donation to food depositories. We all deserve a healthy, warm meal this January. And on that note, I’m off to curl up in my warm cozy bed. Sweet dreams.

Category: Money
   Tags: giving

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