Thank you all so much for your valuable opinions!
I've been talking to my husband about this, and we've decided to use the money for something our neighbors can get enjoyment out of as well. We've been talking about planting some citrus trees in our backyard, and will use the cash for that. We'll let our wonderful neighbors know that's what we did with the money, and that when we start getting fruit in a couple of years we want them to help themselves--there will certainly be more oranges, lemons, and limes than my small family would ever eat!
Happy holidays everyone!
Anne