This time of year is when I start to get a lot of mail in my box. Some of it is the usual stuff: bills, advertisements, the local paper, a magazine or two…but many items are pleas for donations. Some institutions and organizations have a big budget to print all of the collateral and those cute little envelopes that are just big enough for a folded check.

Neighbor to Neighbor is not one of those organizations. We don’t have a line item in our small budget for that fancy stuff. Instead, our donors mail us checks with their own envelopes and stamps! It may sound smart alecky, but I’m quite serious. We depend on those checks and sweet, hand-written notes for our existence, and we are extremely grateful to our friends who provide financial support to Neighbor to Neighbor.

I’m sure there are organized people who keep track of what they give where. I can imagine an Excel spreadsheet on my computer, but imagining doesn’t make it so! Honestly, I can’t remember who I donate money to from year to year other than my son’s school. There are so many things to choose from, so many things I would like to support, but I just don’t have the means…so I choose.

During this season of giving, please consider making a donation to Neighbor to Neighbor. Unlike some large organizations, I can tell you with 100% confidence (since I am the one who deposits our donations) that the money you give goes DIRECTLY to helping the people we serve. We use the money for things like our monthly social event. The First Congregational Church of Manchester lovingly donates the space for our events, but we provide lunch for our care recipients.  While every effort is made to make the most of our grocery dollars, things add up. For example, last month, we made sandwiches, and in order to make enough egg salad and tuna salad and ham and cheese, the fixings cost around $100.00.

I hope you will check back here regularly to read more about Neighbor to Neighbor and how we help the Northshire communities we serve. We’ve been here since 2004, and we plan to stick around for a good long time. Thank you.