Thanksgiving is about giving back

Thanksgiving is upon us and most parents are scrambling to find things to do while our kids are out of school for the next few days while cooking a meal to satisfy both their meat-loving uncle and vegan cousin. Others are preparing to hunt for deals first thing Friday morning (or even Thursday night) from retailers promoting Black Friday sales. For our family (and for many others like ours), Thanksgiving is about something else; as second and third generation immigrants, it is about giving thanks and giving back to this great country.

Thankfully, the last couple of years has brought us a global day of giving called “Giving Tuesday” (get it? Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Giving Tuesday. Learn more about it below.). This day of giving is an opportunity to donate time or money to your favorite cause. It is a great time to connect with an organization who needs your help. And it is a great day to teach your kids about the importance of charity.

For our family, philanthropy has always played an important role – my wife and I have worked either as public servants or nonprofit professionals for most of our careers. We are teaching our kids the importance of charity by volunteering and donating a little bit of their money every single week.

And the LA Dads Group is also giving back. We are teaming up with our friends at Plum Organics and the Good+ Foundation to support families in need this holiday season. We are very proud to welcome our partner Plum Organics into the #GivingTuesday mix this year in seven City Dads Group cities across the United States.

Plum Organics is the #1 organic baby food brand, and they believe deeply in using their business as a force for good. For #GivingTuesday, Plum Organics is donating a full palate of product to Good+ – that is over 400 pounds of food for families in need!

LA Dads Group will be sorting and bundling the Plum Organics donation to get it ready to be shipped to organizations that Good+ supports on Giving Tuesday and we will provide an update with pictures after the event.

These events are always my favorite because they are both a lot of fun and you get to connect with other dads while helping out those who are less fortunate than us. And even if you cannot join in person, you can support us by following our work on Twitter and Instagram. By using hashtags #PlumParents and #GivingTuesday, you can see pictures of our dads across the country supporting families in need.

What is #GivingTuesday?

#GivingTuesday is a global day of outreach dedicated to helping others meant to kick-off the holiday season and inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes.

#GivingTuesday started in 2012, in part as a response to the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping events. It originated as a collaboration between New York’s 92nd Street Y, a longtime NYC Dads Group partner, and the United Nations Foundation. Tens of thousands of organizations worldwide annually participate in the day.

This will be third consecutive year City Dads outposts around the country have participated in #GivingTuesday activities, but it is the first time the fatherhood support network has had a national sponsor for its work. In past years, our chapter members from San Francisco to New York City have assisted at local food banks, held diaper drives, and donated goods and clothes to shelters for homeless or abused children.

DISCLOSURE: Plum Organics is partnering with City Dads Group for the #GivingTuesday work mentioned above through a donation of goods and financial compensation.