A big thank-you to Camera Editorial Page Editor Erika Stutzman for this gift of an editorial in Sunday’s paper shedding light on efforts by Amgen and The Community Foundation to boost support to local nonprofits in the down economy: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/dec/07/season-of-giving/
Season of giving: Community responds to nonprofits’ call
A few slices of holiday cheer.
Friday morning, this community was greeted with a $175,000 holiday season gift from local employer Amgen.
In place of the corporate holiday party, which was scheduled for Thursday night, Amgen invited seven nonprofits to what turned out to be a non-party. In lieu of spending money on a bash, the employees handed the nonprofits — including Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, Emergency Family Assistance Association and Sister Carmen — a check for $25,000 each.
Also on Friday, The Community Foundation reported that has almost half of the million dollars it is trying to raise by Dec. 31. They tell us that on Tuesday, workers at the organization ripped open 61 envelopes containing donations — a foundation record.
(And incidentally, if you’d like to help The Foundation double the amount of grants it makes to area nonprofits, join the movement by clicking on www.cultureofgiving.org or send a check to The Community Foundation, 1123 Spruce St., Boulder, CO 80302).
Also this week, we heard from Community Food Share, which distributes food to the organizations that feed locals in need. Community Food Share’s “Let’s Bag Hunger” campaign exceeded its goal of collecting 100,000 pounds of food donations, and beat last year’s total, to boot. The organization collected 126,000 pounds of food and $15,000 dollars, compared with the 2007 totals of 105,000 pounds of food and $9,000.
Times are tough and are bound to get tougher.
The Labor Department on Friday released new numbers showing job losses that exceeded what economists had expected. About 533,000 nonfarm jobs were eliminated in November, the most in one month since the mid-1970s. And the figures for the prior two months were revised upward by 199,000. The unemployment rate rose two-tenths of a point to 6.7 percent in November; the department says it would have been higher if large numbers of workers had not given up looking for work.
The numbers come as no surprise to social service organizations. Those that feed the poor are bemoaning shortages — in Denver, the Salvation Army’s food bank turned away 198 people in November alone.
Our best, local response is to buckle down and give whatever we can, when we can. The Camera staff is heartened that our local community has been doing just that.
There will be tough times ahead; a survey of local charities showed that they are expecting their donations to fall with the ailing economy, which is also dragging down so many families that the need for social support and services is rising.
The outpouring of support for our local nonprofits warms our spirits during this cold and frosty week’s end. Here’s hoping the spirit of giving outlasts both the cold weather spell, the holiday season — and deep into 2009.
— Erika Stutzman, for the Camera editorial board
