As the end of the year nears, we all receive a lot of requests for our charitable dollars. For many taxpayers, donations to charity are a nice write-off on 2024 taxes, if given before Dec. 31.
For others, the reward is that warm feeling we get when we help others. Research has shown that donating or volunteering may release a rush of feel-good hormones related to human bonding.
We’ve made it easy to make a tax-deductible donation to The Oregonian/OregonLive’s annual Season of Sharing fund-raising drive. You can donate by check, as many newspaper readers do. Simply make your check out to Season of Sharing and send it to Season of Sharing, c/o Oregonians Credit Union, 336 N.E. 20th Ave., Portland, OR 97232.
Or you can donate the new-fashioned way: by text or online. You can text the code Season2024 to 44-321, give online at oregonlive.com/sharing or via the 2024 Season of Sharing GiveLively page.
Readers can designate their funds to go to any of the nonprofits we’ve featured this year or donate to the general fund, which will be divided equally among the 13 charities. The Oregonian/OregonLive covers administrative costs so 100% of donations goes to the nonprofits.
The articles that feature the nonprofits and their services are appearing in Wednesday and Sunday editions, beginning a few weeks ago. Each article is accompanied by a list that shows how even a donation of $25 can benefit the charity.
Grant Butler, a longtime writer and editor in our newsroom, spearheads the campaign each fall.
I spoke to him recently on the “Beat Check with The Oregonian” podcast and have excerpted some of our conversation here.
“I’ve participated in Season of Sharing either as a writer or an editor for more than 20 years, and I’ve got to say year in and year out it’s some of the most gratifying work that I do,” Butler said. “Season of Sharing for me is just such an affirmation of how much impact our work continues to have because people respond to these stories. … They open up their wallets to help their neighbors, and it’s just so cool to see that our words can still have this tremendous benefit for our community.”
You can see this year’s stories at oregonlive.com/sharing. They range from larger charities to a smaller, lesser known one, called Siletz Regalia Sharing Closet, which provides regalia to tribal members.
The board that oversees Season of Sharing sometimes sets a theme for the campaign. After the devastating wildfires of 2020, for example, we emphasized housing and recovery charities. This year, the board looked for a focus on mental health and housing.
“The Regalia Sharing Closet is a relatively new nonprofit,” Butler said, “and we thought it was a really interesting approach towards the issue of youth mental health because it touches on issues of identity. Young Indigenous youths don’t always have connections to their tribe, and this is a way that they can be connected with the ceremonial clothing.”
Albertina Kerr’s youth psychiatric unit was another recipient this year, along with Street Roots, the newspaper that focuses on homelessness and lets vendors make money from selling the paper. Commons Law Center, another featured charity, helps people on the edge avoid eviction.
Publishing in today’s newspaper is a feature about Forward Stride, an equine therapy nonprofit.
“I always love stories that involve animals in some way, so I’m particularly excited this year for our story on Forward Stride, which is an equine therapy program that connects at-risk youth and young people with disabilities, with horses and how the interaction with these magnificent horses helps people heal their minds and their bodies,” Butler said.
The impact of Season of Sharing extends beyond the year-end fund drive. We’ve heard of bequests or major gifts directly to a nonprofit after we highlighted the charity.
“One of our writers wrote about a Southern Oregon animal therapy program called Dogs for Better Lives,” Butler said. A reader was so inspired by the story he sent $25,000 directly to the nonprofit, based in Central Point.
We don’t always hear about the impact of readers’ gifts but last year, I wrote about a woman who was severely disabled and had difficulty communicating. Through Season of Sharing, she received a device that allowed her to converse more easily.
After her death, we heard from friends about what a profound difference the gift had made in her life.
And just this month, after we profiled Turner Sanderman, a teen receiving help from Serendipity Center, another featured nonprofit, we received this note:
“What a day Turner had at church yesterday morning when everyone had seen him in the paper! … Thank you again for your sensitive and careful reporting. This whole process has really made Turner feel that his story matters and that HE matters!”
Your donation matters, as well. Thanks for supporting Season of Sharing.
