It’s that time of year when IBEW brothers and sisters are filling food pantries and delivering meals, running toy and coat drives, spending days off wiring the holiday displays that light up our cities, and finding so many other ways to share our good fortune.

Giving back is a core value of the IBEW, and I’m so proud of what you do all year long to support your communities and help people in need.

Right now, for example, Local 11 in Los Angeles is partnering with Habitat for Humanity to rebuild houses destroyed in January’s catastrophic wildfires. In New Jersey, Local 827 Unit 1 recently raised more than $32,000 for breast cancer programs. As part of a safety initiative in St. Louis this summer, Locals 1 and 309 joined with the Urban League to install doorbell cameras for low-income homeowners.

That’s a tiny sample of your everyday generosity. When November and December roll around, the list gets even longer.

A few of those holiday good works are featured on the back page of this month’s Electrical Worker: A toy drive for hospitalized children that is still going strong 25 years after being launched by an Ann Arbor, Mich., Local 252 member. A party to wrap donated toys at Savannah, Ga., Local 508. Food drives at Asbury Park, N.J., Local 400 and Cheyenne, Wyo., Local 415.

Throughout the United States, donations of nonperishable food and household necessities are even more critical than usual this year. I encourage all of us to give what we can, whether it’s through our locals and labor federations or other charities.

The sad fact is that many more Americans are struggling this holiday season, the result of massive job cuts in the public and private sectors, the federal government shutdown, inflated grocery prices, the effects of tariffs on all kinds of products, rising health care costs and other economic factors.

IBEW families aren’t immune to these challenges, and we’ll keep fighting back. 

For now, though, let’s savor this season of gratitude and joy. Let’s stroll the bright lights, deck the halls, sing carols, drink cocoa and embrace our kids’ and grandkids’ excitement. And while we’re cherishing our families and counting our blessings, let’s also help lift up others who aren’t as fortunate.

I know you will, because it’s who you are. It’s who we are.

Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa this month, taking a trip or spending quiet time at home, I wish you the happiest of holidays and thank you for all you do.