GivingTuesday is a global movement to encourage charitable giving that usually falls on the Tuesday following Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year, as a response to the economic turmoil wrought by COVID-19, there will be a special day of giving on May 5. The event, called #GivingTuesdayNow, is expected to create a wave of support for the nonprofits, small businesses, healthcare workers, and communities hit hard by the crisis.
“We each have the power to make an impact with acts of generosity, no matter how small, and to ensure the sustainability of organizations and services that are crucial to the care and support of our communities,” said GivingTuesday CEO Asha Curran. “Even as many face financial uncertainty, generosity is not about size. Every act of kindness is not only a beacon of hope; it’s a critical act of civic and social solidarity.”
We here at Swyft Filings agree completely. That’s why we set up the Swyft Gives Back Grant Program. The program awarded $1,000 each to five small businesses or nonprofits financially impacted by COVID-19. We received over 200 deserving submissions, and choosing only five was an incredibly difficult task.
Here are our winners. In the coming weeks, we’ll be spotlighting each of these small businesses and organizations on our blog and social media. We think their stories are worth sharing, and we hope you think so, too.
America’s Gleaned Seafood
America’s Gleaned Seafood is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to reduce hunger by connecting the commercial fishing industry to local food banks. Every year, millions of pounds of perfectly safe and nutritious seafood are discarded for reasons of being “unmarketable.” New Jersey’s AGS helps feed hungry people by ensuring that seafood left after the harvest can be donated instead of wasted.
Read more about America's Gleaned Seafood here.
Team K9
Team K9 uses specially trained explosive-detecting dogs to help keep people safe at major venues, including concerts, sporting events, and tech conferences. These hero dogs have even done security at Coachella and the NBA Championships. Unfortunately, social distancing means that most of these big events have been delayed or canceled, cutting off the team’s main stream of revenue. Swyft’s grant will be used to feed nine large, hungry hero dogs and pay for some badly-needed vet bills.
Read more about Team K9 here.
Live Give Save Foundation
Live Give Save Foundation’s goal is to help nonprofits generate donations by using new technology. Their mobile app provides people with an easy way to give to the causes they care about and invite family and friends to join them in amplifying social good. Swyft’s grant will be used for market research and matched by a grant from the State of Minnesota, doubling its impact.
Read more about Live Give Save here.
Lave Wash
Lave Wash Laundry Delivery is a small, eco-friendly, family-owned business operating out of Fairfield, California. The company has lost many clients due to the coronavirus shutdown but continues to service a core of elderly and disabled clients that depend on Lave. For many of these clients, doing laundry is challenging or impossible. The grant lets Lave purchase badly-needed supplies and helps them continue to serve those most in need.
Read more about Lave here.
City Lights Gateway
The City Lights Gateway Foundation is a nonprofit community organization based in Harbor City, California. In October 2019, they established their own food pantry and started providing food boxes to 50 families per week. With the economic hardships imposed upon the community by COVID-19, that number has quadrupled. They still provide for their community, but depleted financial resources mean they pay for everything out of pocket. City Lights will use their Swyft grant for food, fuel, truck rental, and personal protective equipment to ensure safe food handling.
Read more about City Lights here.
How You Can Help
Millions of people around the world have been financially impacted by coronavirus. If you’re able to give, please do. Donate what you can to your local nonprofits and support local small businesses whenever possible.