Give A Christmas is all about helping local families in need.
This year, in the wake of inflation and rising cost of living, that local need has increased.
On the first day of Give A Christmas distributions this year, $23,000 in gift cards were given out to 150 households, compared to the $3,500 distributed to 21 households served on the first day in 2021, according to Joseph Cuozzo, director of development for the Bucks County Opportunity Council.
As of mid-December, Give A Christmas, the annual effort by The Intelligencer and BCOC, is at about $70,000 of its $165,000 goal, and there are about 20% more people asking for help this year than the year prior.
“The number of people donating, as of the moment, is more, but the amount that they’re giving is less,” he said.
The Give A Christmas campaign that is run by the Bucks County Courier Times and the Levittown-Bristol Kiwanis is also see increased requests for assistance. More requests are still coming in, but early numbers show the effort helping an additional 230 families, according to Mary Berman, who helps lead the campaign for the nonprofit and newspaper.
“We still expect more requests to come in,” she said. “Our families need us. The need is just so great.”
The campaign continues through the holidays, and thanks to the generous support of our readers has raised nearly $52,000 through Wednesday. But, the fund is running behind last year’s donations. Last year, 7,773 donors contributed a total of $133,523. Those donations provided 3,263 vouchers to 2,075 families.
It is not just the Give A Christmas campaigns that have felt the strain. Nonprofits are fielding more calls for help in all areas.
Across all of the BCOC giving efforts, there has been an increased need, according to Cuozzo.
That’s why every donation helps.
“They can make a difference here locally to an organization that’s been around over 55 years helping people in need,” Cuozzo said.
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Give A Christmas, which began in 1988, helps families in Central and Upper Bucks County as well as eastern Montgomery County. Nearly $3.8 million has been raised since its started. In 2021, the community gave about $210,000 and helped 464 families.
So far, 365 families have been helped this year.
The Courier and Kiwanis campaign is older and has raised over $5.5 million since it began.
The funds go to helping residents pay for holiday gifts, and leftover funds go to helping those families pay bills, should they need it, throughout the year.
“If you don’t have money for the basic needs, you’re not going to have money for the Christmas presents or Christmas dinner or things like that,” Cuozzo said.
The BCOC and Intell GAC also gives about 10% of the funds raised to with the Keystone Opportunity Center, which, along with BCOC, identify local families in need.
All funds, whether given to the Intell or Courier funds, stay local with all money raised going to families in need.
For Central and Upper Bucks, donations may also be mailed by using the donation coupon printed in the newspaper, or found here. Checks should be made payable to BCOC-Give A Christmas and mail to The Bucks County Opportunity Council at PO Box # 1807, Doylestown, PA 18901. Those who wish to donate to Give A Christmas may do so through credit card here. Donations through Venmo or PayPal may be made here.
For Lower Bucks, send donations to Give A Christmas, P.O. Box 862, Levittown, PA 19058.
Make checks payable to Give A Christmas and please include the donation form found in print in the daily newspaper or available for download here. If you don’t have the form, please send a note with your donation that includes your name, town, phone number (not for publication), donation amount and any message you wish to have published with your gift. Also indicate how you wish your name to be listed or if your donation is anonymous. Credit card donations also accepted here.
