Americans have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals (Black Friday and Cyber Monday). Now, we have Giving Tuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back.

On Tuesday, Dec. 1, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give.

A group of 26 local nonprofits from the Boothbay region collaborated in 2014 to let the world know that they live, work, and serve in one of the most caring places on Earth; in 2015 we’re looking to increase that participation number by 50 percent. 

With fewer than 10,000 year-round residents, the Boothbay region is home to over 50 nonprofits that serve their peninsula and beyond. In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, the effort has been dubbed Boothbay Treasures, to express both how the community treasures the work these local nonprofits do and how the nonprofits treasure their local supporters.

At this year’s Fall Foliage Festival, Boothbay Treasures is going to kick off the giving season by reminding guests that the season of giving is also a great time to give back. The 1847 Boothbay Town Hall will be filled with information tables about area nonprofits and the work they do. Some of the featured organizations will also be running fundraisers and sales of handmade items at their tables.

“As a committee our focus has been on showing the region’s residents how lucky we all our to have such a rich and varied pool of nonprofit resources working together to enrich the quality of our lives,” Boothbay Treasure coordinator Valerie Young said. Young works for Bigelow Laboratories for Ocean Sciences.

Participating Boothbay Treasures nonprofits include: Boothbay Sea & Science Center, Boothbay Region Land Trust, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library, Bigelow Laboratories for Ocean Sciences, Boothbay Railway Village, Hope Haitian Ministries, Boothbay Region Health & Wellness Foundation, Boothbay Region Ambulance Service, Boothbay Region Community Resources Council, Kwiltz for Kids, and Bead for Life.

Be sure to stop in and visit with the representatives of all of these great organizations while at the Fall Foliage Festival this year.