While Mother Nature has been dropping ice pellets on us today, there's also been a flurry of activity surrounding Buck-a-Hit Day, the day when we give $1 to charity for every unique visit to this blog (up to a set goal). This year, the day of the event is Tuesday, December 19, and we're expanding the program to get readers even more involved than they were last year, when they chipped in to add to our contribution. We're adding an E-Hat and a Comment Contest.

Here's how it's going to work this time around:

1. For every unique visit to this blog on Tuesday, we'll give a buck -- 50 cents to the Food Pantry at St. Philip Neri Parish; 25 cents to Daybreak Shelter for homeless families; and 25 cents to a charity to be selected by the reader who wins our comment contest (see item 5 below). Our goal on this item is 1,000 unique visits, or $1,000.

2. We're passing the E-Hat to our readers, asking them to contribute to charity electronically via a PayPal button that will be posted here. We'll match every dollar given by readers, up to an additional $500. Reader contributions in the E-Hat will go one half to the Oregon Food Bank, and one half to the Children's Heart Foundation, Oregon Chapter.

3. If readers donate $500 or more in the E-Hat, a reader known as Mr. Fearless will donate another $500 to the Oregon Food Bank.

4. If readers donate more than $500 in the E-Hat, another reader, Greg M., will match each dollar over that limit, up to another $500, with the proceeds going to the Children's Heart Foundation, Oregon Chapter.

5. The Comment Contest is simple. Readers are asked to submit, on Tuesday, a comment relating to the winter holidays -- Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, whatever. The author of the best comment will get to designate which section 501(c)(3) charitable organization gets $250 of our donation (see item 1 above).

It's a little complicated, but it boils down to Buck-a-Hit Day, the E-Hat, and the Comment Contest. And if readers show up and give $1,000, the charities will get a total of $3,500, which would be quite a good day. Hope to see you then.