Humanist Offers to Match Donations to Help Food Banks During COVID-19 Crisis

The following is written by a HumanistsMN member who wishes to remain anonymous.

During the current public health crisis, families’ incomes are being lost and kids and parents may soon be going hungry. Need is currently at an all-time high, and there is no way to know how long this will last, or how bad it will be. Young, developing brains need good nutrition to maintain their optimal development. These kids are the future workforce, and will determine our futures as well. And this time, the humanitarian crisis is perched on our own doorsteps.

I am a longtime HumanistsMN member, and I am offering each of you, as you are able, to be a part of our organization’s response to the current crisis. If you have already given as much as you can afford, you have our deep gratitude. However, if this opportunity appeals to you, and you are able to donate, jump in to the extent you can afford to do so.

My offer is as follows: I will match all contributions you make on a 2-to-1 basis at the end of a two-week HumanistsMN fund drive for a local food bank — up to a limit of $2,500. In other words, I will personally donate up to $5,000 after matching donations made during the drive. For example, if you can afford to give $10, I’ll kick in another $20, for a total of $30. Or $100 will become $300, $500 will become $1,500.

HumanistsMN and I have agreed to send all of our contributions during this drive to one of two major food banks:  Second Harvest Heartland or The Food Group.  If one of the groups is offering matching funds at the time we make our selection, we will give it priority. (Second Harvest has had two such successive matches, from Blue Cross Blue Shield and Schwan’s.) However, the choice of food banks will be at our sole discretion.

If a group is matching funds, your $10 donation would first become $30, and then $60 when it is donated to a food shelf, while $100 would grow to $600. That’s the power of math! If neither food bank is offering a match, the money will go to The Food Group, which HumanistsMN has supported in the past through donations and volunteer work.

We believe the urgency is great. Because we want to get these funds to one of these food banks as soon as possible, this drive will be limited to two weeks, starting on the date that HumanistsMN announces it in an email to all members. How and where to donate will be included in that email.

Thanks so much for giving this serious thought. And if you’re able to donate, you have our gratitude for that as well. Let’s do this!

Update from Harlan Garbell, president of HumanistsMN:

We have now started a 14- day fund drive to collect money for Second Harvest Heartland. The organization has received a matching grant up to a fixed amount from a family foundation. Therefore, funds donated at this time will provide twice as many meals. But we need to act promptly. We don’t know how long those matching funds will last and we can’t guarantee donations will be matched if they are exhausted. 
This is the most important part to enable our donor to match your donations. Start at our website at humanistsmn.org and click on the “Donate” button; select the amount you wish to donate; enter your name, email address, and phone number where indicated; then where it’s labeled “Designation” click on the dropdown arrow and select Second Harvest Heartland; then proceed to checkout. It’s that easy, and that will allow us to keep a running total.
Thank you so much for considering helping families in need. 
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