We love this time of year: the warm, glow-y feelings, the cozy festivities full of delicious things to eat and drink, and the spirit of generosity and giving! Here at PA Eats, we’re celebrating the holiday season with our very first 12 Ways of Giving campaign, starting on December 25th. Each day, we’ll be sharing ways that you can help our nonprofit grow and thrive in the new year.
We are so grateful for all the work we’ve been able to accomplish with Feeding PA through our Nourish PA series and Hops for Hunger campaign and have big plans to do even more in 2022. But we need your help! Here’s how to get involved:
Day one: Get on board (which you’re already doing by reading this!). Resolve to follow along on our campaign each day to learn about ways you can contribute, now and in the future. Invite your family and friends to join in by sharing our posts on social media or spreading the word IRL (in real life)!
Day two: Follow PA Eats on social media! You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Day three: Organize a short-and-sweet fundraiser at your workplace. It doesn’t have to be too complicated — in fact, these kinds of things often work best when you make them simple and fun! An office-wide raffle for a gift card to a local coffee shop or a farmers market gift could be an easy place to start. When you’re all done, simply visit our website to complete the donation!
Day four: Share our Facebook page and Instagram profile with your friends and followers, along with a post about why you’re a fan! Invite your friends and followers to follow along for great PA food and drink and opportunities to help fight food insecurity across the state.
Day five: Donate! According to the National Retail Federation 2021 holiday retail survey, the average US consumer will spend $231 this holiday season on food and decorations this season. Donating even a portion of this expense to help a neighbor would be such a powerful way to give back this year.
Day six: Contact your local food pantry to let them know about the free nutrition education resources and budget-friendly recipes on PA Eats! Though we create this content in partnership with Feeding PA, our Nourish PA programming is available to everyone. You can also tag local food banks/pantries in comments on our posts so that we can share that info for you!
Day seven: Become a Friend of PA Eats. Whether you’re directly involved in Pennsylvania food and agriculture or you’re a local food-lover who is committed to fighting food insecurity in PA, a Friends of PA Eats membership allows you to combine your passions for local food and giving back. Joining the Friends of PA Eats community helps to develop and share stories that celebrate Pennsylvania’s rich food culture, while also assisting our neighbors in need. The membership fees go directly to PA Eats programming, including our Nourish PA video and recipe series.
Day eight: Engage with us on social: like, comment and share! We’ve grown such a wonderful community of supporters through social media. Get social with us on a regular basis to help us reach more like-minded foodies across PA. The more engagements our posts get, the better chance that other like-minded foodies will find us and they’ll join in the conversation! Sharing the love can be as simple as tagging a friend in the comments of a PA Eats recipe or video post!
Day nine: Introduce PA Eats to a Pennsylvania business that you know and patronize! We love meeting PA makers, farmers, artisans and other local entrepreneurs that want to support our mission through sponsorships or other opportunities for giving. Or leverage a matching gift from your employer or a company of your choice. Did you know that an estimated $4-7 billion in workplace matching gift funds goes unclaimed each year?! Most companies match at a 1:1 ratio, meaning they double employee contributions. In some cases, there is a 2:1 and even a 3:1 match. Does your company offer a matching gift program? Go find out and get started with your donation to PA Eats.
Day ten: Subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter, delivered directly to your inbox every Wednesday with recipes, features and voices in food and agriculture from around the state. Add your email address to our list today!
Day eleven: Recommend a Pennsylvania-based chef or nutritionist to consider assisting with the development of budget-friendly, simple and healthy recipes for our Nourish PA programming. Invite them to learn more about volunteering!
Day twelve: Give the gift of hope and nourishment this holiday season and beyond! Offer a family member, friend or coworker a Friends of PA Eats membership – explore the various membership options to find just the right fit for their taste and your budget. Or extend your financial gift to make an ongoing impact: Become a sustaining member with a minimum donation of $10 each month, conveniently charged to your preferred debit or credit card automatically. Show your passion for PA food culture and to help our neighbors in need all year long
We are so excited to embark on this journey of giving with you! Be sure to follow along on social media with the #PAEats12WaysofGivingChallenge hashtag, and thank you for all of your ongoing support for PA Eats so far.
- Salad photo: Dish Works
- Other photos : BigStock
