Media Contact: 

Victoria von Dohlen
Development and Agency Relations Manager / Experiment in Self-Reliance (ESR)
(w) 336-722-9400 ext. 124 / (c) 336-870-2759 / victoria.vondohlen@eisr.org 

Giving Tuesday Initiative Helps Community, ESR 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

WINSTON-SALEM – Experiment in Self-Reliance (ESR) will join more than 225 community campaigns in the United States by participating in Giving Tuesday. 

About the initiative

Giving Tuesday, which takes place every year on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, is a global initiative aimed to promote giving back to the community.  

According to the Giving Tuesday website, Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past eight years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity. 

The initiative makes it clear that people can show their generosity in a variety of ways. Whether it’s helping a neighbor, advocating for an issue, sharing a skill or giving to causes – every act of generosity counts. Organizations can tailor the initiative to fit their needs. 

ESR’s efforts

ESR began participating in Giving Tuesday in 2015, focusing efforts on online giving, challenging others to give and touring ESR’s new facility. Those efforts were replicated for the next two years. In 2018, ESR decided to take Giving Tuesday in a new direction through the execution of a stew cook-off. This event, affectionately known as Giving Stewsday, offered the opportunity for community members to donate a stew of their choice for a luncheon in which people could pay to participate.  

The Stewsday implementation grew, effectively doubling profits for the following year. 

Due to the pandemic, however, ESR has opted to not have “Giving Stewsday” this year, and instead focus Giving Tuesday efforts on volunteerism, fundraising and agency marketing. 

“Our community needs us now more than ever,” says ESR’s Executive Director, Twana W. Roebuck. “I love the message that participation in the initiative sends: We are in this together. We’ve got you.” 

How to get involved with ESR’s campaign

As a part of ESR’s campaign, the organization is encouraging people to participate in the following ways: 

1. Sign up to volunteer with ESR’s Forsyth Free Tax program. Contact Sheila at 336-722-9400 ext. 172 or email her at sheila.devereaux@eisr.org. 
2. Download ESR’s fact sheets and distribute them to your network! Program fact sheets can be downloaded on our website. 
3. Put your gift to work right away by donating through ESR’s website. Additionally, checks may also be mailed to  ESR
   Attn: Debra Perkins
   PO Box 135
   Winston-Salem, NC 27102 
4. Have non-perishable food items or toiletries to donate to ESR’s pantry? Contact Pamela at 336-722-9400 ext. 155 or email her at pamela.ingram@eisr.org. 
5. Have skills and talents to bring to ESR’s committees and programs? Contact Manya at 336-722-9400 ext. 123 or email her at manya.stewart@eisr.org. 

Giving Tuesday will take place on December 1, 2020. For more information on ESR’s Giving Tuesday campaign, visit ESR’s website at www.eisr.org/events. Follow ESR on Facebook at www.facebook.com/eisr.org for real-time updates. Learn more about the Giving Tuesday initiative at www.givingtuesday.org. 

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About ESR

ESR is a non-profit Community Action Agency. Its mission is to empower social and economic self-reliance for the working low-income and homeless. Programs serve the working low to moderate income population in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, helping people locate safe and affordable housing, increase their education, attend financial education classes, have their taxes prepared at no cost and more.