ROANOKE, Va. – The Tuesday after Thanksgiving has become known as “Giving Tuesday.” This is a day when you are encouraged to donate to local nonprofits.
Giving Tuesday is crucial for organizations that provide resources to our community.
One local nonprofit that is in desperate need of help is the Roanoke Valley SPCA. The animal shelter needs a new roof. A couple of weeks ago when a big storm hit, a portion of the roof leaked into their canine kitchen and left a large amount of damage.
Julie Rickmond with the Roanoke Valley SPCA says, “We are really trying to fundraise for this roof and get just a new roof so that we don’t have to deal with leaking anymore. If folks come into the shelter when it is raining, you will often see buckets placed throughout the shelter. So Giving Tuesday means a lot to us because those donations come in and it helps for things like that.”
Rickmond says it is going to cost about $120,000 to replace their roof. If you would like to donate, you can do so on the organization’s website.
If you are not able to donate financially, Giving Tuesday is all about how you can give back, whether that’s with your time or the donation of old items.
Feeding Southwest Virginia is always looking for volunteers to pack food boxes. The nonprofit is working every day to make sure the community has enough to eat.
This Giving Tuesday, Feeding Southwest Virginia is doing donation matches. This means any amount that is donated today will be matched by the Board of Directors, up to $75,000.
Wes Childress, the Director of Marketing and Communications for Feeding Southwest Virginia says, “We get to step in and actually say ‘how can we think about Giving Tuesday? How can we think about giving back to our community?’ This is really what that time is for. Whether it is volunteering, financial resources or whatever it might be. People thinking about how they can help those across the globe, but also those right here in my own backyard.”
Feeding Southwest Virginia is also partnering with Kroger and Virginia Tech for Giving Tuesday. The Virginia Tech Football team is going to the nonprofit to pack food boxes.
There are plenty of other nonprofits across Southwest Virginia that are participating in Giving Tuesday. For a list of ideas, click here.