We all know the popular shopping days well. Black Friday comes immediately after Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday is a new creation that comes the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Major retailers trott out deals for Black Friday and encourage in-person shopping. Cyber Monday focuses on deals through online retailers. Small Business Saturday is sandwiched between the two to encourage spending with locally owned stores.

There’s another holiday creation too — Giving Tuesday. It occurs the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and aims to bring a renewed focus to charitable donations at the start of the Christmas season. Like Cyber Monday, it’s a fairly recent creation. This year, Giving Tuesday occurred on Nov. 29.

But giving doesn’t have to be limited to Tuesday.

After two days of spending on unnecessary, material items, it’s nice to focus on charitable giving. Reputable recipients of our time and money spend it on helping the less fortunate or making our community a more enjoyable place to live. Many excellent, local charities work to do just that.

Gemstones Academy and COMPASS, for example, continously provide youth with workshops and seminars about leadership, education, self-esteem and etiquette.

The Rowan County United Way is another critical organization. It raises funds for16 human service agencies. The Rowan County Rescue Squad is an example of an agency sponsored by the United Way.

A list of major nonprofits, school-related agencies and human service organizations was included in Sunday’s Salisbury Post. In the list were specific needs for organizations. The Pedal Factory, a nonprofit community bike center, needs money for building rent, tools, bike repair materials, bikes and various other items. Meals on Wheels needs volunteers.

Sunday’s list can serve as a starting point for any charitable endeavor. Truthfully, an increased focus on charitable giving is needed. Even a few volunteer hours per week can make a difference.

We shouldn’t, however, limit our dedication to charitable giving. The Family Crisis Council of Rowan County doesn’t assist victims of domestic violence once per year. We shouldn’t donate our time or money to charity once per year either. Our commitment to charity should last all year.

It’s best to limit exorbitant spending on unnecessary material items, but continuous charitable giving to reputable organizations, in any form, will only improve the quality of life in Rowan County.