'Giving Tuesday' - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks

So you've probably spent your weight in money after this indulging holiday weekend, but today is the start of a new holiday tradition: people are calling it 'Giving Tuesday'.

Organizations from around the area are always thinking of new ways to give back to the community, but now during the holidays it's more important than ever. Tis the season for giving, weather it's toys, money or your time.  The F-M community has many organizations that offer help, and West Acres is coming up with ways to reward volunteers during a crucial holiday season.

"We launched a face book contest this holiday season, it's called 'live love give volunteer', and the whole purpose is to get people to get people in our community out there volunteering." says Alissa Sorum who is the Marketing Director for West Acres.

Two $5000 donations will be given to volunteer who's hours are the most, and the money goes to the organization of their choice. Sorum continues, "We want to emphasize it this holiday season, and really giving the gift of the good will, giving the gift of volunteering your time, and helping those in need is really important during the holiday season."

And with so many organizations in the area there are many places and ways for you to help out. Greg Diehl from the Rape and Abuse Crisis Center says "Well from the volunteer side of things where people are sitting at a table or creating things for us, and the community themselves can volunteer in a sense with their dollars to help support our services, by either providing us with gifts for our holiday gift room, for our adopt a family program, or purchasing the snowflakes or the cookies."

Today Bell State Bank and Trust donated over $5500 to United Way Organizations. But no matter if you are donating money to charities, or toys for kids, anyway you can help is gladly welcomed. Sorum says, "Volunteering is always really important, especially during the holiday season, there's people in need in our community and all over the country." Diehl adds, "Everybody in our community can have a part in that mission, have a part in that work, weather its volunteering their time, volunteering their gifts so to speak." The whole community will be thankful for you reaching out.

Minnesota today had more than four thousand organizations nationally join forces to launch what they hope will be a new tradition.

Here are some places around the F-M area that are always looking for volunteers:

https://www.raccfm.com/

http://www.uwcc.net/

https://www.facebook.com/westacres

http://westacres.com/

https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=206&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=paid%2Bsearch