The holidays are typically a time where people are generous and donate more than usual to their local charity. For those who don't have a charity to give to this holiday season, the Desk Drawer Fund is a wonderful organization to support.
Whitney Anderson-Harrell, MSUFCU Chief Community Development Officer and Desk Drawer Fund Executive Director, suggests ways to encourage and celebrate the season of giving.
There are several ways to share the joy of giving, including:
- Creating holiday cards for local nursing home residents,
- Delivering holiday meals to community members who are homebound,
- Purchasing holiday gifts for a family in need.
To get children excited about spreading holiday cheer, focus less on the presents they want and more on how they can bring cheer to others in their community. It's a great way to teach young people to appreciate the gifts they’ve received and the joy that comes from giving to others.
Find a charity the children can relate to, like one that helps others engage with the arts, supplies books to families in shelters, or finds homeless animals their forever homes. Then help them donate to those charities or even become a volunteer.
For those unsure about which charity to support, consider the Desk Drawer Fund. MSUFCU introduced the Desk Drawer Fund, a foundation supporting the MSUFCU and Oakland University Credit Union (OU Credit Union) communities.
By contributing to the Desk Drawer Fund, anyone can support local charities across five pillars:
- Arts & Culture
- Stable Housing
- Empowering Youth
- Financial Education
- Fostering Entrepreneurialism
Since April 2019, the Foundation has contributed $145,000 to 32 individual local charities.
To learn more or to donate, visit deskdrawerfund.org.
