Marking the start of the year’s giving season, Giving Tuesday offers families, businesses, schools and clubs an opportunity to come together for a common purpose: to celebrate generosity and give to a cause they care about.

This Tuesday — as every other — Direct Relief was honored by its centenarian volunteer, Edythe, who drove through the rain to the office  to write thank you letters to generous supporters from around the world.

This Tuesday also saw giving on a grand scale with a campaign launched by Etsy in support of Direct Relief and three other nonprofits: Room to Read, Women for Women, and The Nature Conservancy.

To celebrate the day of giving, Etsy donated $100,000 to the four organizations, and is encouraging its global community of artists and craftspeople to join in the campaign.

Anyone can participate in Giving Tuesday and support Direct Relief’s efforts to bring urgently needed medicine and care to people in need by visiting  Etsy’s Crowdrise page.