On Monday, I had a very nice lady tell me that she felt she should have come back to the cookie walk sponsored by Peabody Main Street during the Hometown Holiday Celebration a week ago and bought more cookies to support the Main Street program. Shoot, she showed up twice and bought piles of cookies each time! She lives alone — who was going to eat them all? The first time she bought that many, I had to help her carry them to her car. She is one of those people in the community who quietly contributes to many causes that strike a chord with her.

She is generous and has her reasons for making donations. Good for her.

I am a member of the Christmas light committee. Usually no one knows who we are — they think the city is in charge of the Christmas lights. And that is OK; we get a bit of a kick out of that. Being on this committee actually has some satisfying moments, when we aren’t dealing with bulbs or equipment obliterated by hail or vandals, and it is one of the easiest committees on which to serve. Most people are very generous with Christmas light donations.

We even have one couple who make an annual donation about the time the downtown lights come on for the holidays. They do that in memory of his mother who was the first donor to the current downtown lighting project that was put in place several years ago.

It is always satisfying when repeat donors contribute again. They have their reasons for donating. Good for them.

This is the time of year when people write the final checks to take advantage of “year-end giving.” And, yes, I know the economy tanked during the past year — I also have a retirement fund and mine did no better than yours did. We all had to suck it up and tighten our belts. But this also is a year in which your community and its local charitable groups could use a boost.

What better time to make your donation (and a difference) right here at home? You have your own reasons for giving. Good for you.

A couple of weeks ago the Peabody Community Foundation used this space to issue a plea for donations to maximize pledged matching funds up to $60,000. The deadline for contributing is Dec. 31. Donations to this fund will keep Peabody and many of its organizations well supported for decades to come.

In addition, charitable groups like the Peabody Association of Churches, Craig White Fund, Boy Scouts, Peabody-Burns Alumni Association, Senior Center, Peabody Township Library, Prairie Lawn Cemetery, Christmas Light Fund, American Legion and the Avenue of Flags, the annual Toy Run, HUB, Peabody-Burns Recreation Commission, Fourth Fest Society, Partners of Peabody Parks, fire department, ambulance crew, and individual churches, as well as the Peabody Historical Society, Main Street Association, and school district could use your help.

Your contribution to any of these organizations will make a difference locally. Your reasons for making a donation would be yours, but your donation would be important. Local donors like the aforementioned always make a difference. No matter what amount the donation might be, the giving is a testament to their faith in the community.

Because they share, they are the best people we have.

— Susan Marshall