Shop for a Cause

This weekend, instead of fleeing to the Lehigh Valley Mall for a shopping spree, why not stick to downtown Bethlehem? From Feb. 17 to 19, the Downtown Bethlehem Association is supporting a Shop for a Cause event. This means that while you shop for yourself, 10 percent of all your purchases at participating locations with go to a charity of your choosing. Better yet, when you dine at participating restaurants, 10 percent of your bill will also go to your charity.

The way it works: Print out a “Shop for a Cause Purchase Form” off of the website of the charity you pick. Then, bring that form to the store or restaurant you decide to shop or eat at and have the owner fill out the form. That’s it.

For a complete list of participating businesses, go to the event’s page on the Downtown Bethlehem Association’s website. The site also has a tab with a list of charities to choose from, including the Bethlehem Special Olympics, Boys and Girls Club of Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley Children’s Centers and United Way of Lehigh Valley, just to name a few. See online for the rest of the charities you can choose from.

This event is a really great way to support a local cause, but also get something for yourself out of it too. Of course, we always feel better about ourselves when we can do something nice for someone else, but there’s also the added benefit of picking up a cute top or grabbing a nice meal at the end of a stressful week.

It seems that people are always more inclined to do something if they can get something out of it too. Incentives are pretty powerful sometimes, and this is a pretty good one. Shop for a Cause offers virtually no effort on your part, besides printing the form. So why not participate?