It’s Tiiiiiime

Let’s show what the power of community can do.

Christmas Eve 2023 Holiday Event

Every year, as the calendar flips to December, and Mariah Carey’s unmistakable “It’s tiiiiiime!” starts echoing across commercials, social media feeds, and grocery store aisles, you know what’s coming. The season of joy. The season of giving. The season where you can’t avoid hearing “All I Want for Christmas Is You” at least 47 times in a single day.

I love it all.

For me, there’s always been something about the winter air, sharp and biting, that compels me to take stock of the warmth I can offer. Which is why for five years in a row, I’ve used my mutual aid non-profit, We Have Stories, to gather us as a community, pool our resources, channel our compassion, and deliver joy.

On Christmas Eve morning we take a rental truck filled with toys, clothes, and food we’ve shopped for over the previous days and gift them to over 300 families needing a helping hand. This year, I’m setting a goal: $30,000 to help over 350 families have a holiday that feels like home. These hundreds of families look to us for something that feels so simple, so fundamental—joy, dignity, and the assurance that they are not forgotten.

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A post shared by @fredtjoseph

Last month, I ran a fundraiser, as some of you may know. I didn’t share it here on Substack because I wanted to focus this community’s energy on the holiday drive. So hopefully you all can help drive us to our goal.

Every Dollar, Every Action Counts

I know it’s easy to feel like the problems are too big or that what you can offer might not be enough. But let me assure you—everything helps. Every dollar, every share, every act of generosity sends ripples through each family that can use the help of its neighbors.

It’s not just about the food, though a hot meal can mean the world. It’s not just about the toys, though the sound of a child’s laughter is a gift to us all. It’s about the human connection we’re building, the belief that we can, together, make a better world, even if it’s just one family, one household, one moment at a time.

I know these are difficult economic times for many. But if you’ve got $3, it helps. If you’ve got $50, it helps. If just 10% of the people who read my Substack gave $3, we would make goal.

If all you can do is share this message with someone who might be able to contribute, that helps too. We only have seven days to raise funds before doing our shopping!

Let’s show these families—and ourselves—that we are capable of more.

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