As Thanksgiving slips by and we quickly get swept up in the season of gift giving, shopping, overeating, and holiday parties, let’s not forget the real “reason for the season”. I was raised in the Catholic church and schools by two bleeding heart grassroots community activists, so service was just part of our routine. Since childhood I could often be found volunteering at a food bank, cleaning up a park, raising money for a local start up, essentially just saying yes to everything. This is not meant to be a humble brag, I was just indoctrinated into a life of volunteerism and philanthropy very early in life.
As a kid, holidays were never dominated by consumerism or presents. Although I didn’t appreciate being stiffed as a pre-teen and and angsty teenager, desperately wanting whatever was cool at the time: American Girl Dolls, Doc Martens, a landline, and later, a cell phone. My parents believed in practical gifts or “experiences”. Hindsight is 20/20 of course, because they did (most) everything right.
Although community service was a year round activity, it really ramped up around Christmas. As a family we often adopted another family to bring gifts and dinner to, we sang carols at nursing homes, shoveled the elderly neighbors’ snow, and raised money for various causes.
Most of my career has been rooted in community service and building capacity for nonprofit organizations. During my time at The Children’s Center of Wayne County I ran the Holiday Shop program, a week long pop up store for client’s parents to shop for gifts, essentials, books, hats and gloves, and more. The program serves 1500 Detroit children annually and is an absolutely incredible and dignified resource for families made possible by the generosity of the community.
I consider myself to be a bit of a minimalist, but ya know what they say, “you can’t take it with ya”. Whether it is time, money, talent, books or clothes you’ve been meaning to drop off, we can all do a little bit to help someone else.
I truly don’t enjoy the consumerism and pressure to buy during this time of year, for a number of reasons, including the environment. A study published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology shows the stuff we consume — from food to knick-knacks — is responsible for up to 60 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and between 50 and 80 percent of total land, material, and water use. (Jacobs, 2016) So yeah, in order to divert my attention from the tragic impact consumerism has on our planet, I focus on what I can control which is my output.
It’s all about the little things. This holiday season I challenge you to find a way to give back, big or small! Be thoughtful about where you are spending your money this holiday season and shop small. Supporting local businesses keeps money in your community, supports economic development, and reduces your carbon footprint. Now is a great time to find opportunities to volunteer or donate to organizations you support. Forgo a coffee this week (and next) and donate $10 to a cause you care about.
If you’re Philly based, I have the perfect opportunity to get started! Join me at Fergie’s Pub in Center City on Thursday, December 12th from 7-9:30pm. I am co-hosting a Holiday Party & Food Drive with my friend Siah McCabe and her community collective, BOP Philly. We will be supporting local nonprofit Small Things Philly. Small Things distributes food, hygiene, and household goods to a network of local partners comprised of community centers, food pantries, and churches in and around Philadelphia.
Stop by for a beverage, conversation, and don’t forget your canned goods, cleaning supplies, cereal, toothpaste, etc. We’ll be drinkin’ and food drivin’ because it’s more fun to party when it’s for a purpose.
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