Lea Michele shared a sweet holiday photo of herself and her family Thursday, with a message that hits home at this time of year: Spend more on charity, and less on gifts.
At least, that's what she's doing in her clan, as she noted with an Instagram photo:
Along with the picture of Michele, 34, her husband Zandy Reich and their 4-month-old son Ever Leo, she wrote, "For the holidays this year we decided to forgo presents and instead chose to give back to a few organizations that help children: @stjude and @baby2baby"
She added, "Becoming a mother was the greatest blessing in the world yet this was an incredibly challenging year for so many people and every baby should be safe and cared for. Our love and prayers are with everyone this holiday season."
We couldn't agree more: Many Americans are struggling in 2020 with unemployment and food insecurity, so here are 10 great ways to help the hungry during the holiday season. Plus, here's what to ask charities and yourself before giving, and here's how some parents are trying for a "three-gift" season.
Michele and Reich married in 2019, with Ever coming along earlier this year. The "Scream Queens" actor has been a supporter of charities for years, including Broadway Cares/equity Fights AIDS, Step Up and Feeding America, among others.
She designed a pin, which was sold on eBay in 2017, to benefit Feeding America, and told InStyle then, "At the end of the day, putting money toward a good cause is always a better way to spend your money during (the) holiday season."
Also this week, Michele shared a photo of a calendar blanket with Ever stretched out on it on Instagram.
For Michele, 2020 was complicated for more reasons than just the pandemic. Earlier this year, the former "Glee" star was accused of making life "a living hell" for a co-star from the popular Fox series. Michele addressed the allegations and apologized for her behavior, saying in part, "I am a couple of months from becoming a mother and I know I need to keep working to better myself and take responsibility for my actions, so that I can be a real role model for my child and so I can pass along my lessons and mistakes, so that they can learn from me.”
She added, “While I am very sorry, I will be better in the future from this experience.”