WESTFIELD – In just a few days, 463 local nonprofit organizations – including 18 in Westfield – will participate in Valley Gives, the 24-hour e-philanthropy event in western Massachusetts on Dec. 10. This year, the event has a goal of attracting 20,000 donors.
Local groups hoping to raise money that day include the Westfield Foundation for Education, Young Singers of Greater Westfield, Westfield Dollars for Scholars, the Noble & Coolet Center for Historic Preservation, the Greater Westfield Boys & Girls Club and the Massachusetts Foundation for Learning Disabilities, among others.
To help promote participation Valley Gives organizers will have teams appearing around western Massachusetts on Valley Gives Day, ending with a Countdown-to-Midnight Celebration at Luxe Burger Bar in Springfield.
Potential donors are encouraged to follow Valley Gives in real time on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ValleyGives or on Twitter @ValleyGives. Valley Gives is spearheaded and hosted by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.
Valley Gives is powered by Razoo, the crowdfunding platform for causes. To date, Razoo has helped Massachusetts-based organizations raise more than $52 million through secure, easy-to-use, online fundraisers.
Another way to give locally this week is during the Channel 40 Force broadcast in Southwick.
The public is invited to the event Dec. 12 from 5-6:30 at Town Hall to spread holiday cheer and raise donations for Southwick’s Our Community Table food pantry.
A committee formed by Board of Selectman Assistant Sondra Pendleton and Economic Development Commission Chairman Michael McMahon selected the pantry as the charitable recipient of the event, which is set to include a sampling of appetizers from local restaurants, assistance from the boy and girl scouts, and songs to encourage the spirit of giving by the Southwick-Tolland-Granville High School chorus.
Admission to the event is a non-perishable food item.
“This is a great way to make sure we adequately stock the shelves of the pantry,” said Chief Administrative Officer Karl Stinehart. “The food pantry serves Southwick, Tolland and Granville and we want to help sustain that effort.”
