For the last six years I have watched different holiday charity efforts around Thanksgiving and Christmas in our community. As we launched the Jefferson Community Center inside Jefferson Junior/Senior High School, I knew we would have an opportunity to try out different approaches to encourage and support families during November and December. I’m also mindful of how we position these efforts as I know some of the families and the fact that they work hard to overcome the challenges of lower paychecks and high housing costs. So this year we are trying something different from past efforts which involved collecting canned foods and delivering a Thanksgiving basket with a turkey to our families.
This holiday season, we are collecting funds from Jefferson teachers and staff as well as the surrounding community to provide a $25 gift card to King Soopers for Jefferson families that need a little extra encouragement this season. Instead of assuming our families want a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, our families can purchase a Thanksgiving meal that fits their culture. Some of our families live in motels along Colfax where it isn’t possible to cook a turkey, so a gift card allows them to purchase food that fits their living situation. Teachers and staff at Jefferson Junior/Senior High School will recommend families that could use the encouragement of a meal this Thanksgiving.
We are also partnering with an Edgewater realtor Marla Doughty to organize the Turducken Relay for Thanksgiving Eve to raise funds for this effort.
It’s important to provide people an opportunity to give over the holidays and do it in way that is culturally appropriate and empowering for those that receive.
Click here to learn more about the Thanksgiving gift card project.
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