GivingTuesday 2018: How To Help Charities In St. Louis

ST. LOUIS, MO — There’s a good chance that if Mom and Dad want it, they’ll go out and buy it, leaving you shaking your head over what to get them for Christmas. The grandparents are sending their stuff home with you and the last thing they want is more of it. So what do you do? Consider donating in their names to a local St. Louis charity on #GivingTuesday, a global day of philanthropic giving and volunteerism that follows retail shopping events Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.

RELATED: See where Missouri ranks when it comes to charitable giving.

This year, #GivingTuesday is on Nov. 27, and it’s a good opportunity to start your end-of-the-year giving early. Some charities have already signed up, including Books for STL Kids, the League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals of Greater St. Louis and plenty of others. But we know there far more charities deserving of a contribution than we have space to list.

Tell Us: What charities in St. Louis do you recommend people give to on #GivingTuesday? Tell us in the comments, or if you’re a charity, start a free user account and post your GivingTuesday event directly on Patch.

Charities fill gaps in communities like ours. No matter how tough your life is, it’s not hard to look around and find someone who has it worse. Plus, it makes you feel good and, if you have children, teaches them the importance of charity.

The global movement got its start in 2012 at the Belfer Center for Innovation at the 92nd Street Y, a cultural center in New York City. It harnesses the power of social media — you’ll see the #GivingTuesday hashtag popping up on your accounts — and the generosity of people and corporations to unite people around the values of community service and giving.

(For more stories like this, subscribe to Patch for daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. You can also download the free Patch app for iPhone and Android.)

Businesses and individuals can show their generosity on #GivingTuesday. In past years, entertainers such as Queen Latifah, NFL stars like Kansas City Chief Travis Kelce and Seattle Seahawk Earl Thomas and other glitterati have loaned their names to the effort and surprised children in their communities with shopping sprees. Last year, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital hosted a #GiveThanks Holiday Pop-Up in New York City on #GivingTuesday.

Last year, more than $300 million was raised online for a broad range of organizations, but cash gifts were only part of the story. People also gave volunteer hours, donations of food and clothing, and, less tangible, performed acts of kindness.

“We are incredibly inspired by the way the #GivingTuesday community has embraced this concept for a worldwide movement,” Henry Timms, founder of GivingTuesday and executive director of the 92nd Street Y, said in a press release. “As we prepare for November 27, we’re energized and encouraged by the community’s generosity. The levels of creativity, effort and the quality of the new ideas people have contributed and shared are phenomenal.”

Photo: Kansas City Chief Travis Kelce attends a 2014 J.C. Penney #GivingTuesday event with the Boys & Girls Club on in Kansas City, Missouri. (Fernando Leon/Getty Images for JCPenney)