I get nervous when I repeatedly hear “I want ….Can I have….? Let’s go buy….” whether it’s for Chanukah, an upcoming birthday or just because. How can I wage a war against the prevailing culture – a culture that often conflicts with our Jewish tikkun olam value system and caters too much to self-gratification and indulgence?

Finding the secret key to turning the next generation into a new generation of givers turned out to be not as hard as I thought.

The Central Carolina Community Foundation is a non-profit organization that links resources of donors to areas of need within the community. Their goal is to provide a creative, efficient and cost effective way for people to invest in the charitable causes they care most about. One way the Foundation has achieved their goal is through the creation and utilization of the Talk About Giving box.

Utilizing the dinner table as a forum for exploration, each card in the box poses a question to ponder while passing the chicken soup. Here’s a few examples:

• What’s something you’re willing to do without right now and what would you do with the money you saved?
• What is one way you are willing to help a friend or neighbor this week?
• Have you heard the phrase “Money doesn’t grow on trees”? What does it mean?
• If you had $10 and you HAD to give it away, to whom would you give it and why?Why is it important to give money to people who need it?

To order the Giving Box, go to www.talkaboutgiving.org and click on Talk About Giving Game. It will be the best $7.99 you’ve ever spent.