Let’s be honest, the pandemic has affected us all; but it’s been particularly traumatic to those who were already struggling prior to the current world health crisis. Every day, we bear witness to the very spacious gap between the haves and have nots. For example, you may overhear people speaking in a café that serves $6 coffee about the unbelievable stress they are going through during these times. Meanwhile, just outside a homeless person is sifting through garbage bins for food and asking passersby for change.
The good news – you can do something about it!
Supporting others isn’t solely in the hands of big corporate entities with millions or billions of dollars. Anyone can contribute a small amount of their financial success and spare time to help someone in need. By starting locally with the essentials, we can create a ripple effect that extends beyond our neighborhoods and impacts the world.
And speaking from experience, few people know this better than our veterans. We have served not only as our nation’s defenders, but also as a humanitarian force both abroad and stateside. Giving aid to people in some of the world’s most inhospitable environments, we bring the same efforts to local families in need. Every year since 1947, the United States Marine Corps has been collecting and distributing toys to less fortunate children during Christmas around the US. The Frontline for Veterans in Media group at Matterkind wanted to bring this same sense of commitment to the workplace and have steadily been able to expand the popular Toys for Tots campaign to include Kinesso as well. Today, our 4th annual drive is in full swing!
Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome
Considering the challenging events of the last two years, Toys for Tots and Kinesso/Matterkind have chosen to lean on the unofficial Marine Corps mantra – IMPROVISE, ADAPT, and OVERCOME. During 2020, Toys for Tots had to transition from an in-person toy collection at designated locations to a mostly virtual online system for donations. Partnering with You Give Goods has allowed each of our offices to continue serving our local communities and has broadened our idea of what it looks like to ‘give back.’
This year as we ramped up our 2021 Toys for Tots initiative, we began to consider using this partnership to do more by helping out families struggling with food scarcity as well. As luck would have it, the same resources and capabilities deployed for our Toys for Tots drive were also able to be utilized for our 2021 Holiday Food Drive. Never to stand on the sidelines, our sister agency IPG DXTRA heard about all of our hard work and offered to co-sponsor our outreach this year.
The Takeaway
So, what is it I want you to know? The past two years have been difficult for all of us. When it gets too hard, try leaning into gratitude for all you do have. A little bit can go a long way. Simply paying for someone’s meal or donating a few hours of your time to a nonprofit of your choice can make significant impact. Veterans have served their country and continue to serve for their community. They could serve as a model for all of us for their dedication and commitment.
When there is a will, there is a way. New environments and new rules call us to IMPROVISE, ADAPT, and OVERCOME.
Contribute to our 2021 initiatives here:
