Like me, I'm sure your email inbox and social media feeds have been inundated with mentions of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Travel Tuesday, and whatever else people might have designated, often while promising deep discounts in these early days of the Christmas shopping season.
You might also be like me in another way: My budget this year won't allow me to give serious consideration to many of them. But there have been other emails about "Giving Tuesday" -- the day every year that's the focus of nonprofits praying for a final push of support from citizens in 2023, on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving. If you're a person who holds to a strong faith, you believe you have a little to spare for our neighbors. It's in our hearts to give to the less fortunate, whatever our own situation might be. (And since I'm a Christian, I felt led this weekend to talk about the season of giving through that perspective.)
Phoenix, like many large U. S. cities, is struggling to manage a severe homeless issue, with the Arizona Department of Economic Security reporting that more than 20,000 people go homeless here every year. Here are some images from over the summer:
It's already 100 degrees in Phoenix. The city seems to have no plans for where these hundreds of people will go. pic.twitter.com/TJGEjfqCHg
— Meg O'Connor (@megoconnor13) May 16, 2023
More recently, the issue of well-meaning people going it alone came up on Thanksgiving. A TikTok, which recently went viral, captured a local woman and a group of 20 of her friends in "The Zone" -- a massive homeless encampment in downtown Phoenix -- trying to hand out food. Understandably, Phoenix police officers erected physical barricades to block their access to the area for their own safety.
In a message from the city leading up to Thanksgiving, Director of the City of Phoenix Office of Homeless Solutions, Rachel Milne urged people not to directly give money or food to those who are homeless (I sheepishly admit that I have done both.) Milne said:
We have such a generous community in Phoenix, and we know people want to help. People mean well when they give to someone who is unsheltered, but that often encourages them to stay outdoors and away from services that can help end their homelessness. By working with established service providers, it helps create connections that can change people’s lives.
The community pastor of Phoenix's First Christian Church, Jerome Parker, gives a hint on how we can join in with what's called "healthy giving." Parker is a member of the Healthy Giving Council (HGC). a public-private nonprofit group that formed where I live (in Maricopa County) over just the past few years. He said that "[r]ather than handing someone a meal or coat on the street," people could pause and think about a different option that gives them a hand up:
'Maybe my efforts would be longer lasting if I partner with a nonprofit organization, if I partner with people that are in this space day in and day out that are actual experts in getting people closer to ending their homelessness.'
Well, learning about this effort by the HGC on Thursday, I was suddenly filled with a feeling of hope because people are trying to do something incredible to give people a better way to help ease the burden on their fellow man.
It looks like they are making small but steady, positive strides. Here's how the group describes itself:
The Healthy Giving Council was formed by a coalition of concerned citizens, faith leaders, social service providers, neighborhood stakeholders, businesses, local government and individuals with lived experience of homelessness to promote healthy and sustainable giving. We are here as a resource to help connect you to healthy ways to give and to encourage year-round giving.
The group's website doesn't just talk a good game, or spread "good intention" gobbledegook, though. They also share some early successes, through videos telling personal stories by people the project's work has already touched. Here's one story, from Nat Jones, who said "through chance or God's blessing," he was able to get a "hand up" from HGC partner, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. They've helped him get a home and a job. He said:
Every night I went to bed I said, 'I just want to go home.' And now I’m able to go home...my own home.
#Givesmart this holiday season! Instead of 'street giving' this Thanksgiving, consider spending your time at a non-profit organization that is better suited to serve large groups of people! #giveback #thanksgiving #dogood #healthygiving #volunteer #nonprofit #help #service pic.twitter.com/yj8rrs9MIi
— Healthy Giving Council (@CouncilGiving) November 15, 2022
How are the HGC's efforts going so far during this season of giving? St. Vincent de Paul, with the help of its volunteers, was able to bless and feed more than 7,000 people on Thanksgiving. Thanks be to God!
If you'd like to support the Healthy Giving Council's mission, either through volunteering, donating, or simply spreading the word, here's their link to more information.
