We Contributed To These Causes

For Chanukkah my spouse and I chose to not give gifts for which we had no use but instead to make contributions to causes we felt were important. For 8 nights we exchanged our contributions: We each gave to the Human Rights Campaign. My spouse contributed to Doctors Without Borders, New Israel Fund, Tri-State Basset Hound Rescue, Elijah's Promise, Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, the Guardian, and the World Wildlife Fund. I gave to Amnesty International, the Sierra Club, Joyful Heart Foundation, Planned Parenthood, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network for Purple Stride, the Anti Defamation League, and Lambda Legal.
Not all of our donations were political. W tried to remember local needs also. We rescued a Basset Hound several years ago. My spouse is so far a survivor of pancreatic cancer. Joyful Heart Foundation supports victims of domestic violence. Elijah's Promise distributes coats to people who have none. The Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom is made up of Muslim and Jewish women working together toward understanding and peace. The contribution to the Guardian was intended to support our desperate need for unbiased investigative reporting.  I also intend to support other environmental associations such as Bioneers and Deep Green Resistance.
We intend to carry on this tradition.  It meant a lot to both of us and helped we hope the world.