Giving Tuesday Means More Than Ever This Year

Giving Tuesday is today, November 30^th and, as part of our commitment to San Diego, we wanted to feature a charity that we at the Entertainer & Lifestyles Magazine feel, from personal experience, is very worthwhile. The charity we are highlighting today is Interfaith Community Services.

Interfaith Community Services’ mission statement says it, “empowers people in need to stabilize and improve their lives through comprehensive programs in partnership with diverse faith communities and people of compassion.” Yes, that’s a mouthful, but we have seen them do just that.

First, some brief background on giving: The best way we have found to check out a charity, in general, is both to look it up on the State of California Registry of Charities to make sure they are listed and are legitimate. Of course, with Interfaith Community Services, that is not an issue. The other is to go to Charity Navigator. This site offers ratings on non-profits that rate them in a number of areas; such as compliance, the actual percentage of funds that end up actually addressing their mission statement, (we’ve all heard of charities where only a very tiny percentage goes to the actual need). Again, Interfaith Community Services passes these tests with flying colors.

We chatted recently with Interfaith’s CEO, Greg Anglea, whose passion for those in need is immediately evident. Anglea, who became CEO in 2014, shared some of the non-profit’s many challenges. “The amount of barriers that low income families face just to keep food on the table, much less facing the disparities in education and so many other elements that many of us take for granted is truly heartbreaking,” he shared.

He also has seen firsthand that the inequities caused by Covid are even more pronounced. “Covid has made all the problems that existed prior to it even more pronounced. Many families have been pushed beyond their means,” he recalled. “Plus for those struggling with addiction, their struggles have increased significantly. For example, overdose deaths have tripled during this time.”

So clearly there is a need and that is what Giving Tuesday is all about. You can check out Interfaith Community Services at www.interfaithservices.org. A tax-deductible gift could make a big difference not just in someone’s holiday, but in their future, as well.