Shore Gives More campaign hits record number of donations
Tuesday is Giving Tuesday and here on the shore we have 80 organizations that are participating in a 24-hour online giving event.
Since midnight Tuesday, people all over the shore have been donating to non-profits through the Shore Gives More Campaign, which is hosted by the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore.
The donations continued to rise throughout the day, a clear sign that the shore gives more.
There's a day to be thankful, there's three days with great shopping deals.
But there's also a day dedicated to giving.
"Shore Gives More is an initiative of the Community Foundation as part of a global movement called Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving," says Victoria Kent, marketing director at CFES.
Since spearheading the Shore Gives More Campaign three years ago, community members have come out in numbers to support local non-profits here on the shore.
"Our first year and second year we had a 505 percent increase in donations and this year of course we're hoping for more. More money raised each year is great just as the number of nonprofits participating has grown since last year as well," explains Kent.
This year they have 80 non-profits participating from not just Wicomico and Worcester Counties, but Somerset too. It giving these organizations funds they need to continue their services.
Amanda Smith from Women Supporting Women says,"The impact is huge it goes to supplying the information in the newly diagnosed bags it helps to purchasing the bras we need to. We also offer wigs so just all of the funds that are raised go to helping the local breast cancer survivor community here on Delmarva."
The Shore Gives More campaign gives people like Robbie Tarpley Raffish a chance to support organizations they're passionate about.
For Raffish, it's Women Supporting Women since her mother is a breast and ovarian cancer survivor.
"I encourage people to get mammograms and I encourage people to go to the doctor but I also know when people get sick there's so much you can't afford, there's so much you don't even know about and that's what Women Supporting Women does, it fills that gap," explains Raffish, who went as far as getting a pie to the face to raise money for the organization.
And people like Raffish have really stepped up for this years campaign, raising more money than ever before and beating last year's record of $88,000.
"There are so many good charities on the shore that can't get the visibility that they need. It brings them all together and I just think it is an amazing effort of a community that doesn't happen everywhere," explains Raffish.
Plus, donating is as easy as online shopping and not to mention it's also a tax write off. Even if you paid for the transaction fee, that too can be written off on your taxes.
To see the final numbers just head to the Shore Gives More website.
