In a world filled with division, unity through giving emerges as a powerful force for positive change. When we share our time, talent, and resources, we forge connections that transform lives.
Giving isn’t just about charity, it’s a catalyst for shared strength. It is generosity in action. The very act of giving is an act of kindness, compassion, and service to another, without expecting anything in return.
There are numerous reasons people give to the charities, organizations, or causes they care about. But research shows the number one reason for giving is the human desire to create positive change. Helping others gives us a sense of purpose and connects us to something bigger than ourselves. [1]
And science reveals that giving is good for our overall well-being. When we act generously, we stimulate the release of feel-good hormones like dopamine and oxytocin, boosting happiness and fulfillment.
Giving actually lights up the region of our brains that processes pleasure and reward. This is referred to as “warm glow giving” coined by James Andreoni. [3]
You’ve likely experienced that joy when someone’s face lights up in gratitude. These effects aren’t fleeting; generosity has been shown to improve health and may even extend our lives. [2]
“ The Heart of Everything We Do”
“Donors are the heart of everything we do,” explained Michelle Gollapalli, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer at Food For The Poor. “We serve such a highly vulnerable population, if it were not for our donors, we couldn’t do anything.”
Through the generosity of dedicated donors, Food For The Poor provides emergency relief assistance, access to water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for vulnerable children, care for the aged, skills training, and micro-enterprise development assistance.
Giving can have a profound impact on reshaping lives and the world around us. In this post, we’ll explore how the generous act of giving can bridge divides, inspire collaboration, and drive meaningful transformation.
Three Ways Unity Through Giving Empowers Positive Change
- Giving bridges divides. Uniting behind a singular cause can create a groundswell of generosity and gratitude that ripples out into the world, creating lasting and positive change.
That’s important to donors like Wendy Matovelle. After hearing about Food For The Poor’s efforts to raise money for an impoverished community in the Dominican Republic desperately in need of a safe water source, “I knew I wanted this to be our purpose,” said Matovelle, owner of Hair Culture Day Spa, in Pembroke Pines, Fla.
She decided to host a “cut-a-thon,” to celebrate the spa’s five-year anniversary and offered discounted haircuts with all proceeds going toward the fundraiser.
“The event not only allowed us to give back but also created an opportunity to bring together our community, clients, families, and staff for a shared cause,” she said. “It became more than just a salon celebration; it became a way to make a meaningful impact, while celebrating our journey together.“
The event raised more money than Wendy could have imagined. But what made the biggest impression, “was the way it brought people together for a cause that mattered. Giving, I learned, is about creating moments where everyone can be part of something meaningful.”
- Giving inspires collaboration. Shared giving encourages empathy, and promotes connection by fostering understanding, collaboration, and shared goals among people with different perspectives.
Working with partner organizations allows Food For The Poor to bring together diverse skills and perspectives to solve common challenges.
According to Jisabelle Garcia-Pedroso, Director of Operations for Food For The Poor, by collaborating with partners, the charity is “better able to steward the donor’s support into the right hands to meet the needs of those who are affected right where they are.” [4]
When the Food For The Poor teamed up with Vida Unida, a Spanish-language radio station, to host Hearts United Community Day – Corazones Hispanos Unidos in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, over 100 people came together at the charity’s Coconut Creek, Fla., headquarters to fill 3,500 backpacks with school supplies for children in our Angels Of Hope program. [5]
“We had collaboration from our local community, our staff, and leadership, as well as media partners like Vida Unida,” said Maricarmen Anguiano, Volunteer and Community Engagement Program Director at Food For The Poor. “We were all there inspired by the same purpose – helping the children in the countries we serve.”
Volunteers play an important role in the charity’s mission, giving of their time, and collaborating around a singular cause: to help children and families in need.
This includes the charity’s Board of Directors, Gollapalli noted. “They’re not only giving their time; they’re giving us their talent on the different committees they serve on. They help guide the direction of the organization.”
Pointing out to a now empty volunteer room, Anguiano said, “Here, we are many different languages, many different backgrounds, many different cultures, just united to help those who need help.”
The charity’s core group of weekly volunteers has “become a community,” she continued. “And the fact that we all serve with a common purpose, I think that is what brings them back every week for anything that we call them to do.”
In the two years the volunteer program has been underway, Food For The Poor has registered more than 1,400 volunteers. In 2023, the charity’s volunteers donated 3,488 hours, packing 54,171 relief kits. [6]
- Giving drives meaningful transformation. Sustainable Community Development is critical to driving meaningful change because it addresses the root causes of multidimensional poverty.
Through this process, Food For The Poor collectively identifies needs, harnesses skills, and charts a path forward, explained Marcus Frisch, Director of Projects at Food For The Poor. “As participants gain confidence and pride in their contributions, they develop resilience and the leadership skills necessary to ensure the community’s future success.”
This approach creates lasting impact by tackling economic, social, and environmental challenges in an integrated manner, ensuring that progress endures for future generations.
Communities, like Choloma in Honduras, reflect the transformative power of solidarity and sustainable development. By strengthening local leadership, infrastructure, and economic systems, sustainable development enables communities to become self-reliant.
In collaboration with partner organizations, and residents, homes were built, a water treatment system was installed, schools and a feeding center were established, and job skills and leadership training were provided.
The community demonstrated remarkable resilience after suffering setbacks due to the COVID–19 lockdown and back-to-back hurricanes in 2020. They came together using the skills and leadership they had developed to rebuild, reinforcing their sense of pride and ownership.
Today, this community is thriving, stronger, and more united than ever. It’s a testament to the power of sustainable community development to drive lasting transformation by empowering communities to shape their own future.
“We’re going to be leaving communities much better than we found them,” Gollapalli said of Food For The Poor’s focus on sustainability, “we’re going to be able to bring them together around ways in which they can help themselves out of poverty.”
We are better together.
We are truly better when we work together. Giving can be a powerfully unifying force that bridges the divides of different languages, cultures, lifestyles, and communities to inspire collaboration and drive positive change.
Giving Tuesday is a perfect example of the unifying power of giving. As one of the largest giving events in the world, this global movement brings us together, encouraging each of us to do good by giving – of our time, our talent, or our treasure. It’s a day set aside to recognize that every act of kindness matters, and each of us has the power, together, to bring about the change we want to see in the world.
Giving is more than one action on a single day. As Giving Tuesday reminds us, it’s a habit that can change the world.
When we embrace generosity, and when we commit acts of kindness that foster a sense of unity and love, a ripple effect of goodwill is created that extends far beyond our own individual efforts.
Discover how you want to use the power of giving to unite and create meaningful change by visiting foodforthepoor.org today!
