Lending a Holiday Helping Hand

Send an “Honor Card” from Open Door Ministries

Open Door Ministries, an organization dedicated to serving people experiencing homelessness in our community, has created a beautiful and festive way to give back through their Honor Cards. These cards are painted by artist William Mangum who was inspired after an encounter with Mike Saavedra, a man experiencing homelessness. For a minimum donation of $5, you can order a card to send to a loved one, and the proceeds all go to ODM. This socially distant initiative brings happiness to your card recipient and support to your community! Delivery and local pick-up are available. Contact Leigh Wagner for more info – lwagner@odm-hp.org

Support Local Students through GTCC’s Titan Link Program

Through Guilford Technical Community College, the Titan Link program supports High Point students with any number of needs that could arise during their year. From childcare to food security, to transportation, Titan Link guarantees that all GTCC students can have access to education regardless of the obstacles they may be facing. “GTCC is not just a college, but a community college,” says Sybil Newman, Titan Link coordinator. “That is the most integral part of what we do, which is why we’re very intentional with our programming.” If you want to support the needs of a High Point community college student, you can send a donation to GTCC, attention to Titan Link. Or you can drop off your donation at GTCC on the third floor of Learning Resource Center at the Jamestown Campus. If you have a passion for a particular service Titan Link offers, you can even stipulate a specific program you want your donation to go to. For more information contact Sybil Newman – titanlink@gtcc.edu.

Ring a Bell for the Red Kettle (Virtually!)

A well-known and loved part of Christmas generosity is the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. And this year, it got a virtual spin! While you can still register to be an in-person holiday ringer for the Red Kettle Campaign, this year the Salvation Army has created a “virtual bell ringing” program. By signing up with your High Point zip code, you can email and invite friends via social media or email to donate to your virtual Red Kettle. Proceeds will continue to support our local Salvation Army. As an extra bonus, virtual donations are entered into the “Ring for Bling” drawing for a diamond ring donated by Coins & Stuff of High Point! Donate before Christmas Eve to be eligible for entry. Visit registertoring.com to sign up as a virtual or in-person Red Kettle bell ringer.

Provide Food through the Hayworth Cancer Center

The Hayworth Cancer Center of Wake Forest Baptist Health operates a food pantry to serve cancer patients that qualify through the Center’s Loveline Program. The Loveline Program, a financial assistance program, asks patients about how often they experience food insecurity. Qualifying patients can then stop by the food pantry to ensure that food insecurity is not a concern while they battle cancer. Additionally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, this protects immuno-compromised patients from having to shop at high-exposure grocery stores. “A lot of our patients have expressed needs in the past, but I think COVID has amplified this,” says Erin Kline, Head and Neck Cancer Navigator at the Center. “We are so happy to have started this food pantry so that we can further assist our patients.” You can donate at the front door of the Hayworth Cancer Center at 601 N. Elm Street. The pantry accepts any non-perishable items but specifically requests canned meats. Other acceptable items include canned vegetables of any kind, soups, rice, beans, canned fruit.

All throughout the year, Cover the City collects blankets for distribution to people experiencing homelessness during cold months. The organization, started by High Point local, Amanda Anderson, now has chapters nationwide, from South Carolina to New York, to Ohio. If you’re like us, you already have too many blankets cluttering your home, so why not donate the gently used ones to a good cause? You can drop of blankets at any A Cleaner World location in North Carolina. Cover the City has also created a virtual donation through Amazon. Just select the blanket you’d like to purchase and bring a little warmth to our community!

 

Photo Courtesy of Maria West Photography

Photo Courtesy of Maria West Photography

Partner with United Way

If you’re still unsure of how you want to give back this holiday, United Way of Greater High Point has opportunities for you to get involved all over the city. As a partner organization for 27 local agencies year-round, United Way impacts the health, educational, and financial needs of our community. Several options for partnering with United Way this holiday include their BackPack Program (https://www.unitedwayhp.org/uwghp-backpack-program-1 ) that provides weekend meals to students in need, which you can even donate to through Amazon. They are also hosting the UWGHP 20.20 Giving Challenge (in lieu of their traditional #GivingTuesday) to provide local families with holiday meals this Christmas. United Way is looking for families to be involved in sponsoring other families in our community by donating the following food items.

You can reach out to Cherie Myers for more information (cherie.myers@unitedwayhp.org).

In the face of a difficult year, our hope is that our High Point family finds a sense of unity in supporting and caring for one another. And our High Point family includes YOU – your simple act of kindness could change someone’s life this Christmas season.

Discover our High Points,

The HPD Team