In a blink, the season of gratitude will morph into the season of giving, making the two – gratitude and giving – inexorably tied to one another.
While we at CapeSpace have much to be grateful for, the region’s nonprofits are at the top of the list. And that makes it easy to start contemplating the giving season, and how we can a difference by supporting nonprofits that do so much to make our community a better place.
With Giving Tuesday coming up on November 30th, now is the perfect time to start thinking about how we can express our gratitude by giving our time, effort, and dollars to strengthen the work of local nonprofits, including these three organizations that we’re grateful for at CapeSpace.
EforAll Cape Cod
In a two-year period, from the end of 2018 to the end of 2020, EforAll Cape Cod’s support of local entrepreneurs resulted in the creation of 58 startups and 73 jobs in our region. “In 2020, our entrepreneurs earned $1.5 million in revenue to the local economy, which is just amazing,” said the nonprofit’s Executive Director, Christin Marshall.
Through its Pitch Contests and Business Accelerator, EforAll Cape Cod provides seed funding, business training, and mentorships for local entrepreneurs and small businesses in our region. This work, Marshall explained, would not be possible without donations of all sizes.
“The fundraising we do every year goes directly back to the entrepreneurs,” she said. “People’s donations not only support our work, but it’s directly funneled to local entrepreneurs to grow their business and move their business forward.”
By investing in EforAll Cape Cod, donors are investing in the local economy by supporting businesses that create jobs, which are critical to a healthy and vibrant community.
To make a donation to EforAll Cape Cod, click this link. To learn more about EforAll Cape Cod’s work, click here.
Mashpee Chamber of Commerce
This Thanksgiving, many of us will be surrounded by loved ones, enjoying a meal complete with all the fixings – turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, squash, rice, cranberry sauce, yams, and pumpkin pie. But not everyone will be so fortunate.
Some will be alone. Others may not have the means to pay for such a meal. That is where organizations like the Mashpee Chamber of Commerce play an invaluable role.
With the support of Roche Bros., The Club at New Seabury, and The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod, it will mobilize a team of volunteers to deliver meals to as many as 100 residents in Mashpee.
Chamber Executive Director Katy Acheson is currently assembling a list of people who would like a meal delivered. She is also seeking volunteers to help deliver the meals.
To request a meal or to volunteer to help, call the Chamber at 508-477-0792.
While Thanksgiving is the biggest meal of the year, it’s not the only one where the Chamber does its part to show what it means to be a community. They also deliver meals for Christmas and Easter, and willingly take donations as well as volunteer help for both.
“It is really important to make sure our neighbors are seen to and cared for,” Acheson told us. “This is humbling – that is the word I keep using because a lot of us have it really good. This brings you back down to earth to see neighbors who may not have it as good, whether it’s a physical or a financial thing.”
To learn more about the Mashpee Chamber’s Thanksgiving dinner program, click this link.
WE CAN (Women’s Empowerment through Cape Area Networking)
Now in its 20th year, WE CAN serves roughly 2,000 women per year through a range of programs that are geared toward inspiring hope and bringing increased opportunity, self-sufficiency, and stability to the individuals they serve.
WE CAN’s services include one-to-one consultation focused on legal issues, job search, financial counseling, and empowerment. It also holds workshops on similar topics led by experts in the law, employment, care giving, and entrepreneurship. And its eight-month PathMaker Program is an immersive mentorship that guides women in their personal and professional lives.
Executive Director Lisa Guyon said these programs, all of which are free, are made possible only through the generosity of donors. “It is critically important that we continue to raise funds to run our organization to serve women across Cape Cod, from the two bridges to Provincetown. Donations allow us to do that,” she said. “We have donors who give $5 a year and we have donors who give much more. We appreciate any gift because that generosity is critical to supporting our mission.”
As we move toward 2022, Guyon said, gifts over the next two months will allow nonprofits like hers to end the year on a high note, all while preparing to make an even bigger impact in the coming one. “It’s incredibly helpful to allow organizations like ours to move ahead in confidence and invest in programs that are going to make a real difference,” she said.
To make a donation to WE CAN, click this link. To learn more about WE CAN’s work, click here.