Opinion Today: You can help bring hope this holiday season

These nine nonprofits that are part of The New York Times Communities Fund are a great place to start.

View in browser|nytimes.com December 28, 2024 Lucy Jones By Nicholas Kristof Opinion Columnist There's an image of journalists as hardened, devil-may-care cynics, but — psst, this is just between us! — many of us are actually idealists who entered this field for the chance to do some good. Scratch a cynical journalist, and an idealist bleeds. So that's why my colleagues and I are talking about The New York Times Communities Fund. Some of us on the Times staff donate to it during the holiday season and invite our readers to do so as well. We then pass the funds to a group of nine nonprofits that we've chosen for their outstanding work. One gets books in the hands of needy American children, another helps young people find their way to college or vocational school, a third supports food banks and yet another helps girls in Africa attend school. We've written about these groups in recent weeks, and their work is pure uplift. I may sound like Tom Sawyer inviting you to whitewash a fence, but it's a privilege to support organizations doing such inspiring work. You can learn more and donate here. In my own family, at the end of the year we gather with our three kids and make group decisions about how to allocate charitable dollars. My wife and I make suggestions, and our kids sometimes have their own ideas. The Communities Fund website offers an excellent menu of choices for this kind of discussion, and The Times covers credit card fees so that 100 cents on the dollar reaches the organizations. I'm proud to be on the staff of The New York Times, and the Communities Fund is one reason. It has been around for more than a century, and it is our annual opportunity for the paper, our staff members and our readers to work together to help people out and put our idealism into practice. We'd be honored if you joined us. READ MORE ABOUT SOME OF THE CHARITIES HERE Lucy Jones Farah Stockman How to Multiply the Power of Women and Girls in Africa CAMFED combines skills training with basic education for girls, a proven model for helping them lift themselves and their communities. By Farah Stockman Lucy Jones The Editorial Board Breaking the Cycle of Childhood Poverty in New York Children's Aid provides essential help with food and housing for families in New York City, where tens of thousands of children live in poverty. By The Editorial Board Lucy Jones mara gay Helping Students Find Their Way to College OneGoal is a resource for students who are entering college without the benefits of family wealth. By Mara Gay Lucy Jones The Editorial Board Books About Everyone, for Everyone First Book's work is an antidote to book bans. It makes diverse books more accessible to students, teachers and libraries. By The Editorial Board Lucy Jones The Editorial Board No One Should Go Hungry in America While lawmakers try to find long-term solutions to food insecurity, Feeding America is filling the void for tens of millions of Americans every day. By The Editorial Board We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. Games Here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle and Spelling Bee. If you're in the mood to play more, find all our games here. Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Opinion Today newsletter from The New York Times. To stop receiving Opinion Today, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018