Bonus: Giving Tuesday Post
In honor of Giving Tuesday, I wanted to share which organizations I’ll be donating to this year.
The UF Bat Houses -
The world‘s largest occupied bat houses, which are home to 500,000 bats, are located at none other than the University of Florida.
Not only does one bat eat its weight in insects (like mosquitoes) each night, but bats play an important role in plant pollination, particularly fruit trees. Their guano (poop) helps spread seeds and is essential for plant growth as it provides the soil with nutrients. Put simply, bats play a critical role within ecosystems, and we need them, and they are not the human-feasting vampire creatures they are often thought of as in popular culture.
So if you love the environment AND animals, then these bats are worthy advocates of your help.
Mill Creek Farm in Alachua, Florida -
Mill Creek Farm, a “retirement home for the horses,” opens to the public on Saturdays, allowing guests to go for hikes while feeding grateful rescue horses all the carrots they desire along the way.
The price of admission: carrots.
Several years ago, the woman who owns the farm planted the trees that the horses now find refuge underneath on hot days. She wanted to open the farm to the public once a week after reading about an animal abuse story in the community. Her thinking was that if young people saw how gentle these large creatures were, they would grow up to be as gentle with all animals.
The farm is now home to dozens of horses who have been rescued from abusive conditions. At Mill Creek Farm, they are promised to never be ridden again. They simply get to live the rest of their days in peace and eat carrots from adoring fans on Saturdays.
And all of this is achieved through donations from the public - outside of the carrots, of course.
& the SPCA of Brevard,
our local no-kill animal shelter where we adopted one of our pups.
In the wake of defunding, your local NPR and PBS stations are two other great ideas for donations this year.
It’s Easy
Donating was super easy through my PayPal account; I donated to all three in less than ten minutes, right from my phone.
Plus, donations make great gifts. At the end of the day, many of us don’t need anything for Christmas, and I personally would love a donation made on my behalf instead of a gift.
Give More, Feel Better
According to the National Philanthropic Trust, Americans gave 7% more in 2024 than they did in 2023. In difficult financial times, an increase in giving means a little more and just might prove how good giving really feels.
With approximately 1.8 million 501(c)(3) organizations in America, it should be easy to find a few you’d love to support this Giving Tuesday.
Write on,
Ashley