KEARNEY — By 10 a.m., the number was at $359,872.
The Kearney Area Community Foundation’s 2023 Give Where You Live 24-hour donation event kicked off on Thursday, Dec. 7 and the donations were coming in early.
Judi Sickler, KACF President/CEO, said she felt like they were ahead of where the event was this time last year when Central Nebraska Today spoke with her Thursday morning.
She noted that there were a greater number of gifts given online.
This year, there will be $135,000 given to participating nonprofits through the Challenge Match Pool and various prizes. Prizes include: Biggest Percentage, Breakfast Club, For Good Forever, Golden Tickets, Insomnia, Last Chance to Win, Pop Up, Reach News Heights on Social Media, Under the Umbrella and Welcome Home.
At the KACF office, around 44 volunteers would rotate throughout the day, helping take in donations.
Sickler said the activity is constant throughout the day, with peaks around lunch time, in the afternoon and during the evening.
This year, there was a record number, 188, charitable organizations that will benefit from Give Where You Live.
By 10:30 a.m., the number had grown to $384,689 and was still climbing.