Holiday shopping, year-end giving buoy local businesses, organizations
November 28, 2023 | By Lisa Scagliotti 
In what has become a modern holiday tradition, today is dubbed Giving Tuesday across the nation and beyond.
It comes on the heels of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday – the days immediately following Thanksgiving that launch the holiday shopping, spending and giving seasons.
There’s no doubt that local merchants, restaurants and other businesses are hoping their customers will support them when it comes time to choose holiday gifts this season. Many businesses in Waterbury and across Central Vermont especially were directly impacted by the summer floods. A drop in fall tourism traffic disappointed others. A strong fourth quarter will buoy their spirits and bottom lines as they head into the new year.
For those reasons and more – they employ Vermonters, for example – spending locally on holiday gifts will have a tangible effect.
Likewise, numerous organizations in our community are looking to Giving Tuesday today and year-end giving through Dec. 31 for a noticeable boost in their 2023 revenue. The collage here of familiar logos highlights some Waterbury-area nonprofits that serve youth and seniors, provide recreation and essential services, beautify public spaces, protect the environment, educate, feed, entertain us, and more.
They and others rely on community contributions for a significant part of their operating revenue each year to continue to provide their services and to grow their programs in new and creative ways.
Finally, know that reader contributions sustain Waterbury Roundabout’s local journalism as an important source of reliable information and connection about and with local government, schools, businesses, neighbors and the community at large. That support greatly will help fuel – and hopefully grow – local news coverage in 2024.
Here are links to the organizations listed on this page. This is hardly comprehensive. If there’s a nonprofit you would like to see mentioned, put a note in the comments section below. Feel free to mention its website.
Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF)
Friends of the Waterbury Public Library
Friends of the Waterbury Reservoir
Green Mountain Performing Arts
Hunger Mountain Children’s Center
Waterbury Area Anti-Racism Coalition
Waterbury Area Good Neighbor Fund