Some givers offer more than trinkets - The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA

Some givers offer more than trinkets - The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA: "Some givers offer more than trinkets
By Susan Palmer
The Register-Guard




The rent check.
The utility bill.
The car insurance payment.
Boring household finance details - they don't sound like the top items on anybody's holiday gift list.
But more area families are telling charities that they want their gifts to have a lasting effect, something beyond the one-day joy of presents under a tree or a festive holiday meal.
Few groups are tracking the numbers, but every year a few more phone calls trickle in to places such as St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County, Catholic Community Services and the Energy Share program at the Eugene Water & Electric Board. "