Last month’s Mega Millions frenzy motivated hundreds of Oxford moms to donate to something bigger than themselves.

Oxford Mom Chatter, a Facebook group, signed a $1,545 check to Oxford-Orion FISH over the weekend.

The ladies had originally planned to enter the lottery and use their winnings as the donation to FISH. But, when the hundreds of lottery tickets turned up a measly $92, they decided to do a donation on their own.

“When we found out our total winnings were $92, we thought $92 from 650 women looks kind of chintzy,” said Erica DiCosmo, one of three women who run the group. “So, I said ‘I’ll challenge you guys. If you can do $2 to buy a lottery ticket, you can do $2 toward this.’ And they did.”

The moms, which total over 2,000, pick a charitable cause to donate time or resources to every month. DiCosmo said they hope this positive involvement translates to their kids.

“My daughter is in the leadership class at the high school, and they group together in what they call families,” she said. “Each family is responsible for doing certain things. Her family is doing a can drive for FISH. So when she see’s our check, she’s a little more motivated to really push and see if she can best me. So we’ll see.”

As for this most recent donation, DiCosmo and the other ladies hope it will help those in the community who are down on their luck and that some of these resources help Oxford and Lake Orion families enjoy the memories that come with those holiday meals.

“This is about the community helping their community,” DiCosmo said.

For the approximately 300 families who utilize FISH, donations made around the holidays can go a long way. FISH’s clients can receive dinners for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter that don’t come out of the amount of food they’re usually allowed to take. FISH board member Sue Hackstock says the nonprofit does all it can to bring people those holiday memories.

“We buy whatever we think they need,” she said. “Of course, we’re going to give them a gift certificate for a turkey… we buy all the goodies, as far as a turkey dinner. The potatoes, the sweet potatoes, the stuffing, all that kind of stuff. It’s just a nice Thanksgiving dinner.”

With FISH’s whole team being volunteers, Hackstock said it’s always heartwarming when the community pitches in to help their neighbors.

“We’re grateful for all (of) the community,” she said. “They’ve just stood behind us.”