CHICAGO (WLS) — Giving Tuesday stands as a day dedicated to worldwide generosity.

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Launched in 2012, the idea behind Giving Tuesday was straightforward: foster a day focused on giving, whether through financial contributions, volunteering, or small acts of kindness.

The organization behind Giving Tuesday reports that in the previous year, Americans contributed an impressive $3.6 billion to various causes on this day alone.

As we look towards 2025, the demand for charitable support is significant both globally and locally in Chicago.

Sheila Cawley, serving as the Chief Philanthropy Officer for the Chicago Community Trust, leads an organization with a philanthropic legacy spanning over a century.

“It was founded to bring all sorts of people together to address Chicago’s most pressing needs,” Cawley said.

Decades later, there are people in need across the city. Cawley says those needs include food insecurity, housing and healthcare.

This year, the Trust has decided to focus primarily on food insecurity. Cawley says gifts can some in any size.

“Philanthropists can be $10 donors or million-dollar donors, it doesn’t matter. Philanthropy is about caring for other people; and what we encourage people to do is think about what values they have,” Cawley said.

Mitzi Baum is the Chief Executive Officer of Nourishing Hope, which helps people who need food, mental health services and more.

“We’ve seen a huge spike in the need for our services other the past few weeks with the suspension of SNAP benefits, and then the reinstatement. With the government shutdown, people not receiving paychecks and people that were sheltering in place due to the ICE activity in the city of Chicago. We’ve seen a huge surge in need,” Baum said.

However, food isn’t the only type of assistance Nourishing Hope provides.

“Many times, that brings people in and they learn about the other services that we provide: mental wellness services, with our licensed therapists. We also have case managers that can assist with accessing different types of benefits throughout our systems,” Baum said.

For more information, visit:

The Chicago Community Trust: cct.org

Nourishing Hope: nourishinghopechi.org