Thanks to the generosity of the community, Christmas miracles came true in hundreds of low-income households locally this holiday season. It’s no sentimental exaggeration. Local families, individuals, businesses, foundations and other entities stepped up to donate more than $206,000 to Give A Christmas, an annual charitable initiative from The Intelligencer that provides help to neighbors … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: Campaign surpasses 2021 goal. ‘Thank you is hardly enough’" ...

I had the good fortune Wednesday to attend the Bucks County Community College’s holiday gathering. I say good fortune because we actually could get together and actually, physically see good people I hadn’t seen anywhere but a Zoom call in about two years. We all were there to support the good work done at BCCC … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: Donating is good for the soul and for Bucks County" ...

It’s time to put the Christmas spirit into action. Amid the economic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and 39-year-high inflation, people throughout Bucks and eastern Montgomery counties could you use a helping hand financially to make the season bright — or even just to keep the lights on and put food on the table. The … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: There’s still time to donate to help families in need" ...

The spirt of the Christmas season burns brightly in the heart of Diane Paul. The way the Plumstead woman sees it, “we’re all here to help each other.” It’s that compassionate outlook that’s compelled Paul to donate to The Intelligencer’s annual Give A Christmas fund for years. “People don’t necessarily realize that there are community … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: Local donors power charitable outreach" ...

Every dollar donated to Give A Christmas makes a difference. Just ask Brittany Workman. The mother of two from the Quakertown area has relied on the charitable fund to help provide Christmas gifts for her sons. Without the help, it’s unlikely there’d be any toys beneath the tree, as money is just too tight. Certainly, … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: Recipients say the assistance makes a huge difference" ...

Bucks County has heart. In the face of runaway inflation, natural disasters, and the continued public health and economic fallout of COVID-19, Bucks County residents have, on the whole, continued providing ample support to area nonprofits. While every organization’s experience is different and some have been better supported than others, that’s the general positive word … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: Bucks County has been generous to local nonprofits. The help is needed now more than ever" ...

A social worker recently visited the home of a single mom and her four kids. Despite the efforts of the mom, who worked full time to keep a roof over their heads, she could barely afford to furnish the place. She shared a bed with her 3-year-old. Her oldest, a teenager, slept on a bed … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: Bucks County nonprofits are seeing increased needs in community. You can help" ...

The Christmas spirit is at the heart of the missions of the Bucks County Opportunity Council and the Keystone Opportunity Center. For sure, the two nonprofits partner with The Intelligencer on the annual charitable Give A Christmas campaign, but the good they do the local community extends throughout the year. “We envision communities where all … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: Nonprofit partners change lives for the better year round" ...

It’s time to break another record. Last year, the local community stepped up like never before, donating more than $261,000 to The Intelligencer’s Give A Christmas campaign. The outpouring of altruism couldn’t have been more timely, as people throughout Bucks and eastern Montgomery counties reeled amid the economic and health hardships wrought by the COVID-19 … Continue reading "Give A Christmas 2021: Campaign kicks off with need high amid inflation, natural disasters and COVID" ...

Bucks and Montgomery County stepped up big time. With community members facing economic plight on a huge scale due to fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, generous locals donated a record amount to The Intelligencer’s 2020 Give A Christmas campaign, organizers said. Individuals, businesses, families, houses of worship and other organizations stepped up like never before, … Continue reading "2020 Give A Christmas donations break annual record" ...

Dear Readers, you really know how to Give A Christmas. Thank you. On this Christmas Day, we want to celebrate your generosity, your kindness and your heartfelt donations that come at a time when so many people are in need like they've never been before. This is the 63rd year of Give A Christmas for … Continue reading "2020 Fitzgerald: Readers go above and beyond with Give A Christmas generosity" ...

2020 has been a difficult year for most everyone, but some have experienced particular pain and hardship. Like the Bucks County mother whose son was afflicted by multiple seizures in January. It took visits to multiple hospitals to determine he had a brain tumor. What followed was perilous surgery and follow-up therapy, conducted at health … Continue reading "2020 Give A Christmas enters home stretch as donations exceed goal" ...

Now is the time to make a difference. With less than two weeks to go to Christmas, The Intelligencer’s Give A Christmas campaign is entering the home stretch. The charitable campaign remains short of the $140,000 seasonal goal, but generous individuals, families, businesses and other organizations can change that by stepping up to donate now. … Continue reading "2020 Give A Christmas enters home stretch; time to donate is now" ...

For Gene Epstein, life isn’t about what you take; it’s about what you give. The Bucks County philanthropist absorbed the lesson through the examples of his family. He recalls, for instance, the generosity of his grandparents. They ran a small candy store in Philadelphia. There wasn’t much extra money to go around, but what there … Continue reading "2020: Generous donors make Give A Christmas possible" ...

Want to make the world a better place? Consider starting with your own community. This Giving Tuesday presents an excellent opportunity to do just that. Created in 2012, Giving Tuesday occurs the Tuesday after Thanksgiving — this year Dec. 1. The global movement centers on encouraging people to do good by donating money, goods and/or … Continue reading "2020: On Giving Tuesday, help Give A Christmas to those in need" ...

Laurie Diaz will never forget the look on the faces of her children as they opened their presents on Christmas morning. “They were so happy and just really enjoying every second of it,” said Diaz. “It made me ecstatic.” It was nothing short of a Christmas miracle. Weeks earlier, Christmas in Diaz’s household was in … Continue reading "2020: Give A Christmas is neighbors helping neighbors" ...

When COVID-19 struck and authorities implemented sweeping shutdowns of society and businesses, the hardworking single mother of two from Bucks County was furloughed from her job in the restaurant industry. Eventually, she began working again, but only part time, due to pandemic-related rules that limit restaurant seating capacity. Her reduced income, even with help from … Continue reading "2020 Donations to Give A Christmas needed more than ever amid COVID woes" ...

Sometimes, the ends just don’t meet. Jessica was no slouch. The single mother from Bucks County was working hard as a self-employed housekeeper to support her three children. But hustle as she did, there just wasn’t enough money to meet basic needs, including safe, affordable housing. Enter the Bucks County Opportunity Council and The Intelligencer’s … Continue reading "2020 The Intelligencer’s Give A Christmas campaign kicks off for 2020-21 holiday season" ...

You can help your neighbors by supporting Give A Christmas, the charitable holiday drive run by The Intelligencer and the Bucks County Opportunity Council. All donations go to local families in need. Income has gone up and poverty rates have gone down in Bucks County, but those numbers have not erased the ongoing need for … Continue reading "2019 As holidays loom, need in Bucks is great" ...

Giving Tuesday is a time to remember your neighbors in need. Right now in Bucks County, there’s a single mother who can’t afford to keep the lights on. There’s a homeless veteran shivering in the cold, in need of shelter and a leg up to start anew. There’s a woman struggling to find the strength … Continue reading "2019 Give A Christmas: Give back locally on giving Tuesday" ...

Over the past 30 years, Intelligencer readers have contributed more than $3 million to help families in need. We’re once again asking for your generosity to support the Give A Christmas campaign. A hand-up and hope for a better future — those are the gifts the Bucks County Opportunity Council (BCOC) and Keystone Opportunity Center … Continue reading "2019 Give A Christmas partners deliver holiday spirit of giving year round" ...

Local news is our No. 1 focus, without question. That is what our readers expect and what we expect of ourselves. But we also live here and support our community. And, in my mind, the best way we show that is with our Give A Christmas program. Give A Christmas starts Sunday, Nov. 17. Our … Continue reading "2019 Fitzgerald: Give A Christmas returns for its 32nd year" ...

Over the past 30 years, Intelligencer readers have contributed more than $3 million to help families in need. We’re once again asking for your generosity to support the Give A Christmas campaign. The Bucks County couple already had three children of their own, but that didn’t stop them from stepping up to obtain custody of … Continue reading "The Intelligencer kicks off 2019 ‘Give A Christmas’ campaign" ...

Since mid-November, more than 870 people, families, organizations, community groups and businesses have opened their hearts and wallets to assist their neighbors in Bucks and Montgomery counties. Since mid-November, more than 870 people, families, organizations, community groups and businesses have opened their hearts and wallets to assist their neighbors in Bucks and Montgomery counties. That … Continue reading "2018 Give A Christmas: A tremendous outpouring of giving" ...

Sometimes, all the hard work in the world can still leave you a bit short around the holidays. Jacklyn Flores knows the unfortunate reality. The Warrington woman is a dedicated administrative assistant, and when she gets off the day job, she goes immediately to her next more pressing assignment: being a single mom to her … Continue reading "2018 Giving makes Christmas possible for those in need" ...

Al Brown is offering a donation match, up to $5,000, to help power The Intelligencer’s Give A Christmas fund toward its 2018 season goal of $140,000 In the 1951 classic film “Scrooge,” there’s a poignant scene featuring the ghosts of successful men who were selfish and stingy in life. Now seeing the errors of their … Continue reading "2018 Donation match pledge as final days of fund near" ...

Thanks to your donations, Give A Christmas has raised about $2.9 million since 1988 to help neighbors in need. As winemakers, the Forest family knows the joys of a good harvest — the sense of abundance it brings. They have been sharing that feeling with others through the wine they’ve produced at their Buckingham Valley … Continue reading "2018 It’s crunch time for Give A Christmas donations" ...

Now in its seventh year, #GivingTuesday has helped people all over the world with gifts of money, time and assistance. The effort, held the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, serves as an opportunity for people to include charitable organizations in their holiday plans. Here in Bucks County, there is an opportunity to assist your neighbors in … Continue reading "2018 #GivingTuesday a good day to help your neighbors in need" ...

One of the points of pride we have as a newspaper is that we exist to serve our local community. Bringing readers local news is Job No. 1, of course, but we do feel a responsibility beyond that. Perhaps the most tangible example of what that means to us has been our decades-long commitment to … Continue reading "Fitzgerald: Give A Christmas once again brings holidays to those in need" ...

In the one bedroom apartment in Upper Bucks County, the single mother sits looking at the small Christmas tree tucked in the corner of the cramped living room. Her two children sleep in the bedroom, but her bed is the couch out here. Still, she can’t sleep. She keeps looking at the tree. To keep … Continue reading "2018 Give A Christmas fund begins to bring holidays to less fortunate" ...

By Chris Ruvo Correspondent: Just for a moment, take a few steps in their shoes: You’re the single mother of a little girl battling cancer — and you have recently lost your job. Income was light to begin with. But now, scraped to the financial bone, you’ve fallen far behind on your bills. You want … Continue reading "2017 Help support struggling families through Give A Christmas" ...

By Chris Ruvo: After her partner abandoned her and their children, the young mother from Bucks County found herself trapped in a catch-22. She needed a job to support her kids, but she couldn’t afford the child care that would allow her to work and earn. The pressure and pain of the predicament intensified as … Continue reading "2017 Give A Christmas supports those struggling with poverty" ...

By Chris Ruvo: Jim and Kelley Tallia have fond memories of Christmas from their childhoods. While they were not from wealthy families, their devoted parents always made the holidays special. For the Doylestown couple, it’s deeply troubling to think that poverty could cause local children to miss out on the magic of the Christmas season … Continue reading "2017 Give A Christmas brings holiday to families in need" ...

By Chris Ruvo: For 30 years now, the Give A Christmas campaign has helped local people experiencing financial hardship during the holiday season. That mission strongly appealed to the Francis J. Raab Foundation — so much so that the Montgomery County-based nonprofit just donated $20,000 to the 2017 Give A Christmas fund drive. The contribution … Continue reading "2017 Francis J. Raab Foundation donates $20K to Give A Christmas" ...

By Chris Ruvo: As a boy, Irv Rubin visited an orphanage with his school. It was an experience he’ll never forget. “It made a major impression,” said the Doylestown Township resident. “You saw how little they had — nothing really. You just wanted to help.” Indeed he did, making items that were donated to the … Continue reading "2017 Make the most of ‘Giving Tuesday’ with Give A Christmas" ...

By Chris Ruvo:  During the holiday season a couple years ago, James Nangeroni felt a pull on his heart that couldn’t be ignored. It occurred while he was reading an article about Give A Christmas, the annual holiday fund drive run in partnership between The Intelligencer and the Bucks County Opportunity Council. Upon reading that … Continue reading "2017 Give A Christmas donor motivated to keep giving back" ...

By Chris Ruvo: In the comfortable suburbs and scenic rural stretches of Central and Upper Bucks County and Eastern Montgomery County, poverty can go unnoticed. But economic hardship is there, hidden sometimes behind a smile or a stiff upper lip, cloaked away in lamp-lit midnight hours spent poring over bills as the kids sleep, struggling … Continue reading "2017 Give A Christmas makes small miracles for struggling families" ...

By Shane Fitzgerald: This is a milestone year for our Give A Christmas program. It’s been 30 years for The Intelligencer, 60 years for the Bucks County Courier Times and 50 years for the Burlington County Times and together, the papers and — most importantly our readers — have raised significant money mostly through small … Continue reading "2017 Milestone anniversaries for Give A Christmas" ...