What is GivingTuesday and Why Does it Matter So Much?

Since 2012, GivingTuesday has evolved from the simple concept of “a day that encourages people to do good,” into a global movement of generosity, inspiring collaboration and action for the greater good. It occurs on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

In our state, and especially at the Maryland Food Bank, GivingTuesday is the peak of the Giving Season—neighbors are at home enjoying time with family and friends, gathered around a home-cooked meal made from ingredients in our Holiday Meal Kits—and we’re furiously planning to ensure we can meet the needs of our neighbors in 2026.

And much like the adage that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, the Giving Season replenishes and fuels the Maryland Food Bank’s food assistance efforts for the year that is to come. It is by far, our most active season—Giving Tuesday and December 31st are the days we receive the most donations each year.

If the last five years are any indication, you and your fellow Marylanders have felt very inspired to help your neighbors in need, donating an average of 593,953 meals ($712,744) annually!

Giving Tuesday’s Origin Story

While the YMCA is perhaps best known as the fodder for a sing-along pop song by the Village People, the location at the corner of E. 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan’s Upper East Side provided the backdrop for something deeper—the organization’s Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact.

Seeing an opportunity to counter the commercialization of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday sales, the Executive Director Henry Timms, alongside colleague Asha Curran wanted to provide balance, and started a movement dedicated to giving and community building.

The team was very intentional about the day, and the naming convention. While you may see it called “Giving Tuesday” with two separate words, the actual name is GivingTuesday – a social media friendly name that easily transformed into the hashtag #GivingTuesday, which helped the movement gain traction in the early days.

The initial GivingTuesday in 2012 garnered more than $45 million in donations, drawing the attention (and later on, support) of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Ford Motor Company. PayPal, Selena Gomez, and even the White House.

Today, nearly 80 countries worldwide participate in GivingTuesday activities.

GivingTuesday, Maryland Food Bank Style

Every day at the Maryland Food Bank, we strive to inspire collaboration and action for the greater good of our neighbors striving for food security. For us, that means garnering financial support that helps provide nutritious foods and wraparound services, but also the investment of time, so all Marylanders have the chance to thrive.

And with that “yes, and…” mentality in place, GivingTuesday gives us the chance to form partnerships, and host a number of different events and opportunities so everyone can find a way to engage and help grow the kind, giving community that supports Marylanders in need.

Since 2020, our friends at WBAL-TV have partnered with the food bank on an all-day fundraising Telethon on GivingTuesday, broadcasting live from our Halethorpe headquarters. On December 2, 2025, on-air personalities, MFB staff and Board Members, as well as volunteers will once again monitor phone lines, and speak with caring Marylanders who want to see hunger end in our state and are ready to donate and become part of the movement.

In its first year, the Telethon alone raised enough money to provide nearly 30,000 meals! Additional efforts, including a dedicated social media and on-line campaign, a Virtual Food Drive, and the partnership with the Baltimore Ravens brings that total to 152,055.

During the pandemic, Marylanders really stepped up, donating enough funds and food to supply hungry Marylanders with an astounding average of 720,000 meals during the GivingTuesday campaigns in 2021 and 2022.

And we’re thankful for some of most passionate supporters, companies like Belfast Valley Contractors, Mariner Finance, Safeway, and MileOne Auto Group that were willing to provide matching gifts to extend the reach of your generosity during GivingTuesday.

The trend emerging from the last three years is very encouraging for our neighbors in need. You’re helping supply more meals than ever—steadily increasing from 434,526 to 463,499 to 479,356 last year—and we can’t wait to see how impactful this year’s GivingTuesday will be.

GivingTuesday is a critical part of the Maryland Food Bank’s fundraising strategy to ensure that we remain the resource our neighbors need us to be, but it is far from the only opportunity to support our work. From volunteering and hosting a virtual food drive, to our Sustainers Circle and donor-advised funds, there are so many ways to give to the Maryland Food Bank.