Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas, Friend! 
Did you miss us? 
We missed you! 

​Since we switched to quarterly updates, the plan was to send this newsletter to you in October. Unfortunately, our team was affected by COVID-19 and other 2020 surprises, so here we are in December! (We’re still in the 4th quarter though – can you say, #winning!)

Oh, and remember that “pass” I gave you back when the pandemic first hit the U.S? I’m going to need you to return the favor!

The Latest
In preparation for the new year, we've been working on our back-end automation, notification systems, and updates to our website. See below for the benefits and what you can expect! 

A bit more information regarding Urgent Requests and our Up For Grabs Page...
 
Urgent Requests
As a reminder, when you submit an urgent request, an anonymous notification will be sent to your entire community. Urgent requests are submitted when it’s kind of a big deal that you receive help within the same day. Non-urgent request should be submitted at least three days before help is needed.

Here’s the current page where you can submit an urgent request. In the future, we'll remove that page, and add an urgent request selector button to the standard request page to make things a little simpler.​

Up For Grabs
Do you remember our “Give-Aways” page from earlier this year, where we displayed pantry & household items that members could claim at no cost? Well, we decided to remove it because we weren’t sure if it was helpful to your communities.

However, as we spent more time thinking about why we created that page in the first place, and about Handlender's mission, we realized that restoring it was the right thing to do. And we didn’t just bring it back—we freshened it up a bit and gave it a new name: Up For Grabs. We added categories to make it easier to spot specific items you might need, along with a shopping cart feature.*

So, take a look! You may find something you can use or would like to gift to someone else. Be sure to check back periodically, as we’re always adding new items!

*At this time, members can only claim one item per order so that other members also have the opportunity to claim items.
Spread the love and share the gifts!
Don’t worry though--if there’s another item that you’d like to claim, you can simply place another “order.” Sometimes you have to get the outfit AND the shoes--I get it! 

​Do you have items in good condition that you’d like to give away? 

Click here to let us know

---

I’m really excited for all of these changes and how they’ll make Handlender easier to use. I’m grateful that you continue to find our platform useful and I love seeing the requests come through our system!

I believe that as we continue to improve, more communities will join you in experiencing the Power of Giving and the Comfort of Receiving.

---

'Til Next Time
Well, dear friends, can you believe it? We’re here…at the end of 2020. Wow.

We all have so much to be thankful for. Yes, it’s been a roller coaster year, with some triumphant wins and definitely some losses. And the ride may not be over just yet. But I take joy in knowing that, through it all, we’re still moving forward. 

Thank you for all of your support this year. Thank you for your constructive feedback. Thank you for believing in our mission.

Thank you for being a part of the Handlender Network!

Again, have a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!