(NAPSI)—In a time of great need, when 49.2 million Americans live in poverty, a group of friends has found an easy way to improve the simple act of giving. After much thought and even more planning, they created YouGiveGoods.com—an innovative website that enhances giving by making it social, immediate, smart, environmentally friendly, dependable and easy. Making Giving More Social By applying technology people use every day (the Web and social media), the site has modernized charitable giving. Individuals, groups or organizations can start a drive in less than 15 minutes on the website. A drive can be started anywhere to help a food pantry, animal shelter, soup kitchen or homeless shelter located anyplace in the U.S. Once a drive opens, “Drive Starters” use social media to ask others to visit their YouGiveGoods.com drive page and purchase goods from the site. Goods for purchase start at $5. Simplifying Giving By simplifying the process of giving (and receiving), the organization hopes that more people and organizations will be empowered to do more good during this giving season. The socially conscious organization was founded with the purpose of making it as simple as possible to start and promote drives that support charities and organizations that help those in need. Since the site launched a few months ago, over 100 drives have been started all over the country. The site is based in Morristown, N.J. and is owned and operated by a group of people who strongly believe in the importance of helping others in need. It was developed to allow people and organizations to send goods more efficiently and effectively to food pantries, animal shelters, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and other organizations across the country. For More Information For more information, visit www.YouGiveGoods.com.   On the Net:North American Precis Syndicate(NAPSI)

Marie Maxwell is shown with food and supplies sent to Common Sense for Animals, a New Jersey animal shelter. Her drive was made possible through YouGiveGoods.com. (NAPS)