This year was marked by financial hardship for many McHenry County residents, but local philanthropist and McHenry City Councilwoman Sue Miller said she feels the pandemic has reminded us of the importance of supporting our community, which has actually motivated more people to give back this holiday season.

Perhaps it was the disruptions to routines that quieted the noise of our daily lives and allowed us to see what is most important or maybe it was the pain that drew us together, forcing us to lean on one another, Miller mused.

“It’s really been a wake-up call for some people,” Miller said. “They went out of autopilot and back into ‘wow, don’t think small.’ And I think that’s an aha moment which has been reflected in generosity and giving ...”

“This has become an opportunity to reconnect with really who you are,” she said.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security reported an unemployment rate just below 7% at the end of November and many local businesses, particularly restaurants, are on the verge of collapse due to COVID-19 shutdowns.

Despite many people having less to give, charitable giving increased in the first half of 2020 as compared to the first half of 2019, according to a recent report from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, which pulls data from thousands of nonprofit organizations across the country. The number of small-dollar donations (less than $250), in particular, rose by 19.2% over last year.

Longtime local philanthropist Nancy Vazzano is hosting an event this week, which Miller, her faithful volunteer, informally dubbed “Holiday Dinners for All.”

They are collaborating with Dorr Township, the Woodstock Food Pantry and the Woodstock Country Club to give away 75 meals to local seniors and anyone else who is feeling alone this Christmas and may not have the means to cook a nice holiday meal for themselves, Miller said.

“Particularly this year, with COVID and the separation, people who might otherwise have been invited to a large gathering, are feeling distanced or left behind and that may have included a holiday meal which was important to them and brings back memories,” she said.

A chef at the Woodstock Country Club will be preparing all the classics: turkey, stuffing, gravy and vegetables and packaging it all up in individual to-go containers, Miller explained. Anyone interested in reserving a meal is encouraged to call the Woodstock Food Pantry or Dorr Township, depending on which location is more convenient for them.

The meals will be available for pick-up on Thursday, Dec. 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to a flyer on the event.

At Huntley High School, parents and staff have found creative ways to make their senior students feel appreciated and recognized while also empowering them to give back to their community, Principal Marcus Belin said.

In the third week of every month, the school has been doing something to recognize its seniors who are missing out on the most memorable experiences of their high school years, like a traditional prom and graduation ceremony, due to COVID-19, Belin said.

In November, parents of Huntley seniors purchased yard signs to celebrate their students. Last week, proceeds from the sales were donated to two local nonprofit organizations that students felt passionately about: Grafton Food Pantry and the Community Santa Project.

“They’re losing a lot, but they’re giving a lot,” Belin said. “Our kids are the future of our community and we have to continue to wrap our arms around them because they will remember this, but they’ll also remember the impact that they made and we want them to know that making a positive impact does have its rewards and that -- that’s community.”

Cheri Behles, the mother of Huntley High School senior Jake Behles, led a group of other moms and students in coordinating the fundraising effort. Ultimately, the group donated $1,240 to the Community Santa Project and the Grafton Food Pantry received $2,021 -- in honor of the senior class of 2021.

The school’s donation allowed the Community Santa Project to purchase gifts for 24 teenagers living in their district, Huntley Community School District 158, Behles said.

“It seems like when they do these programs to adopt kids for the holidays, it’s mostly the younger kids that people end up taking sooner,” she said. “By us taking those 24 [teens] and then donating the money that we had leftover, they were able to take on additional families that still needed help with the holidays.”

Miller and Vazzano both encouraged anyone who is looking to support their community during this particularly challenging holiday season to consider donating to their local food pantry.

While donations of food items are always appreciated, monetary donations have a greater per dollar impact because local pantries can order food from larger organizations like the Northern Illinois Food Bank at much lower prices than we see in the grocery store, Miller said.

A donation of one dollar to a local food pantry can provide eight dollars worth of food to a family in need, according to the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Monetary donations also help pantries fill their shelves in January and February, when donations typically decline, Miller said.

“As charitable organizations in our community struggle to get back on their feet, they are looking to us for support,” Senior Director of Community Engagement for The Community Foundation for McHenry County, Marcey Sink, said in a statement Monday.