“I was thinking, ‘We’re not having a big
Thanksgiving dinner this year, I can use some of
the money we would have spent to hopefully
help some other people,’” he said.
With the pandemic keeping people from
getting together in a big way for the holiday,
the online effort became a chance to conjure a
sense of community, a feeling of being part of
something larger.
“It felt like it took on a life of its own,” Jones said.
“Man, it’s sure been fun to be a part of it.”
Larsen also heard from people in need. There
was someone who got COVID-19 and couldn’t
work for a month, possibly putting Christmas
gifts out of reach. Another who couldn’t pay a
water bill. Someone else whose neighbor didn’t
have money for Thanksgiving. Most were local,
several were names he recognized from Twitter.
Larsen is a numbers guy, so he built
spreadsheets for donations and people in need.
The effort has gotten big enough that he’ll
need some legal help to make sure he’s got
everything in order, but he’s planning to start
giving away money in the coming days.
He’s hoping to help with bigger things too, like
a down payment on a car for a parent he heard
from who can’t get the kids to daycare after
being in an accident.
The outpouring has been restorative for Larsen,
who owes his career in part to social media but
has also seen its ugly side.
“I thought I was permanently just bitter, the
classic embittered journalist,” he said. “And now
I’m not for a little bit. And that’s nice.”