You can give, and get something great in return at the Jersey Gardens Mall (www.jerseygardens.com) in Elizabeth this week.

The huge outlet center is hosting an event this Thursday called The Magical Day Of Giving.  You’ll be donating money directly to a local charity, and save substantially at most of the retailers there.

Buy a $5 ticket ahead of time directly from one of the listed non-profits on the mall website www.jerseygardens.com/go/mnognonprofits.cfm). Or you can buy the ticket Thursday at the mall. Non-profits can contact the mall to get listed on the directory and receive donations.

You’ll be entitled to savings of ten to twenty percent on purchases at most retailers, including  the state’s only Neiman Marcus Last Call (www.nmlastcallclearancecenter.com).

There is more to do than just shop. For the little ones, it’s also a chance to meet Dora the Explorer, witness a live Radio Disney broadcast, greet Santa, and in the evening watch the tree lighting ceremony along with local politicians and more on-air radio personalities. You’ll also be automatically entered for special prize drawings, and given a gift bag when you arrive.

The Jersey Gardens Mall is the only New Jersey property in the portfolio of  the Ohio-based Glimcher Realty Trust (www.glimcher.com). The company is running Magical Nights and Magical Days across all of its malls, and claims to have raised $4.5 million dollars for charities since the program began in 1998.

If you shop at Jersey Gardens, you already know how to find a bargain. If you haven’t been there, use Thursday as an excuse to visit for the first time.  Those five dollar tickets will add up to substantial gifts for worthy non-profits. And you’ll go home with plenty of discounted goodies to stuff in your stockings.