Around Town: Don’t miss out on NEPA Gives

We’re coming up on one of the most important days of the year for local nonprofits: NEPA Gives.

The 24-hour online-giving extravaganza begins at 7 p.m. Thursday and ends 7 p.m. on Friday at nepagives.org.

What I love most about this online event is that it gives people the opportunity to see and hear about both familiar and lesser-known community causes.

There are more than 200 nonprofits listed on the website today, and in just a few days we can choose to donate to one or many of them. An added benefit of donating during this time is that donations can be matched by sponsors.

You can search by cause, location or name, making it easy to find a 501c3 you want to support.

I love the time leading up to NEPA Gives because social media is filled with positive mentions of the participating organizations and the good works they do right here in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

While I’ll be donating to Junior Achievement of Northeastern Pennsylvania since I sit on the board of directors there, I’ll also be donating a little bit to other causes such as Luzerne County Head Start, which is participating for the first time, in order to support their mission of early childhood education for families in need.

Other charities such as the St. Vincent De Paul Kitchen, Dinners for Kids, F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts and Family Service Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania are also on my list.

There are so many.

I encourage anyone feeling generous on Thursday and Friday to visit nepagives.org, peruse the many options, read up on the nonprofits and contribute a few dollars if you’re able.

I love that donations have the opportunity to be matched.

Follow along on Facebook and Instagram. On those platforms you’ll see the support the initiative is already receiving.

Thanks in advance for any consideration. Even if you can’t donate, it’s worth visiting nepagives.org to see what all the fuss is about.