Celebrate Giving Tuesday All Month with Oak Hill Dry Cleaners and Maine Needs

Because of the huge success of our first-ever Winter Warmth Drive, we are extending it through the month of December.

In the iconic Dickens story “A Christmas Carol,” Ebenezer Scrooge learns some valuable lessons. The blessings that come with freely giving to those in need are some of the most poignant among them. Though he comes to his newfound wisdom the hard way, he takes it to heart. As the story shows us, Scrooge ends his visit with the Ghost of Christmas Future saying:

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach…”

The story then goes on to explain, “Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more…

He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old City knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and, knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him…and it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge.”

“Keeping Christmas well” is a wonderful gift we can give to ourselves as well as those around us, and especially when we aim to do so all year.

Because today is Giving Tuesday, we thought it would be an ideal time to announce a month-long extension on our Winter Warmth Drive. It has already been a tremendous success, but we want to do as much as possible for the holidays. Thus far, we have handled more than 100 items for Maine Needs, and we get new donations each day. Our goal is to give at least 100 more items to the organization before Christmas Day arrives.

What is the National Day of Giving?

We just celebrated Thanksgiving, and this is typically seen as the launch of the “holiday season.” The National Day of Giving or Giving Tuesday is a response to the opening of the shopping season.

As one expert explains, “in 2012, 92nd Street Y in New York City created Day of Giving to bring focus to the charitable season in the wake of the commercialized Black Friday and Cyber Monday. More commonly referred to as #GivingTuesday, National Day of Giving harnesses the power of social media to give back around the world and throughout the year.”

We are using our social media to let everyone know about this extension on our special giving opportunity. Now, everyone has the rest of December to bring in their new or gently used winter wear (coats, snow pants, gloves, hats or mittens, scarves, and blankets). We then clean the items in the most appropriate way, place them on hangers, and deliver them to Maine Needs where they funnel things back into the community.

Are you looking for a way to give on this National Day of Giving? Maybe you can use your social media profile to share this information and help us meet our goal? It costs nothing, and you can enjoy the satisfaction of knowing you are helping those in the community to act like good old Scrooge and “keep Christmas well,” now and throughout the year.