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Get in on the Giving: How Your Family Can Help Others in Need
If you’re looking for ways to help others in your local community or on a statewide basis, consider lending a hand or making a donation to one of the many local organizations listed here. During the holiday season, many would be grateful for gift cards to department stores, supermarkets or pharmacies where needy families can pick up necessities. Others are looking for donations of time, whether mentoring, office help or organizing parties for otherwise forgotten birthdays. Or simply choose one that you and your family would most like to help and give them a call!
• Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) is a private, nonprofit agency serving nearly 100,000 low-income Boston residents each year through its central offices and network of neighborhood centers. ABCD programs and affiliations include fuel assistance, childcare services, Head Start, education, career development, housing services, health services, family planning, intergenerational programs and more. ABCD's holiday toy drive is accepting new and unwrapped toys for children from birth to teens to distribute to disadvantaged families. Financial contributions can be made at bostonabcd.org. Call 617-348-6553 for more information and other ways you can contribute.
• American Cancer Society, 9 Riverside Road, Weston, is the nation’s largest private funding source for cancer research. All money raised support the society's programs of cancer research, education and services for patients and their caregivers. Volunteers are needed to drive cancer patients to treatment through the Road to Recovery program and to help with special events, office support, education programs and patient service programs. Relay For Life is a great event to involve kids in the fight against cancer. Call 800-ACS-2345, or see cancer.org.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay seeks caring adults to be friends to children age 7-14 and share great times together. No special skills are required, and volunteer Bigs are matched with great kids who share their hobbies and interests. Volunteers are asked to spend a couple of hours, every other week, with their Littles for a period of twelve months. To learn more about volunteering or to make a financial contribution, call 617-956-0281 or visit bbbsmb.org. To donate items, call the Big Brother/Big Sister Foundation at 800-483-5503, or visit bbsfoundation.org for donation drop-box locations.
• The Big Sister Association Greater Boston, 161 Mass. Ave., Boston, matches girls (little sisters), ages 7-15, with an adult (big sister) female volunteer, 20 years or older, to form special friendships and spend time together weekly for at least one year. Volunteers ages 18 and up are also needed for group-, community- and school-based mentoring programs. Short-term volunteers for fundraising and office work, financial contributions and in-kind donations are also needed. Big Sister also welcomes your volunteer ideas. Call 617-236-8060 or visit bigsister.org for information.
• Birthday Wishes in Newton Centre helps some 600 homeless children in local shelters to celebrate their important milestones by providing parties that the shelter staff and the children’s parents might otherwise not be able to afford or manage. There are multiple opportunities for volunteering, and families are encouraged to help together. Plan parties, host supply drives, volunteer your services at a party or help out in the office. Birthday Wishes is also trying to expand the program to reach every shelter in the state. Visit birthdaywishes.org or contact Volunteer Director Rachel Freeman at 866-388-WISH, ext. 7224 or rachel@birthdaywishes.org for more information.
• Boston Cares is a nonprofit organization known for providing team-oriented volunteer opportunities and services for adults, teens and families. Plant community gardens, clean parks, serve meals to the homeless, tutor children and much more. Specialized programs such as BOOYAH!, Boston Young Active Hands, provide volunteer projects that school-age kids can enjoy as a group or with their families. To see the many opportunities offered, visit bostoncares.org or call 617-422-0910.
• Bridge Over Troubled Waters (Bridge), 47 West Street, Boston, offers a comprehensive continuum of age-appropriate services to runaway adolescents, homeless, disconnected, and high-risk youth ages 14-24. Bridge serves more than 5,000 youth and young adults annually and offers food, healthcare, counseling services and shelter free of charge. Donations of clothing gift cards, suits, dress pants, shirts and blouses in larger sizes are needed, as well as women’s shoes, MBTA passes, Charlie Cards and movie passes. There is also a need for volunteer dentists, physicians, tutors, guest speakers and job shadow leaders. For information, call 617-423-9575 or visit bridgeotw.org.
• Cambridge Community Services helps at-risk youth, including new immigrants and students at risk of dropping out of school, to overcome barriers to educational and employment opportunities. CCS seeks volunteers willing to serve as mentors and tutors for a diverse group of high school youth to assist them in overcoming barriers to educational options, employment opportunities and future self-sufficiency. CCS is also looking for volunteers in specialized programs for immigrant youth and teen girls. Call 617-876-5214 to volunteer or visit cambridgecommunity.org for more information.
• Casa Myrna Vazquez is dedicated to ending domestic violence in homes, families and communities through intervention, prevention and education. The agency’s SafeLink hotline (877-785-2020) answers more than 20,000 calls a year, and hundreds of women and children are served by its shelters and comprehensive range of programs. Donation needs include newborn baby clothes, baby monitors, baby bottles, diapers and baby wipes, crib sheets and blankets, pillows and blankets and gift cards to WalMart, Old Navy, CVS, Walgreens, Marshall’s, Stop & Shop and SaveAlot. Please note the agency cannot accept any used items. Monetary donations are also accepted and direct and non-direct volunteer services are available. To volunteer, call 617-521-0100 or email volunteer@casamyrna.org. To donate, visit casamyrna.org or call 617-521-0125.
• Casa Nueva Vida, Inc., 53 Glen Road, Jamaica Plain, is a nonprofit, nonsectarian homeless shelter for 16 families that reaches out to homeless Latina women and their children. It helps families find safe, permanent housing and seeks to provide a sense of hope and direction in their lives. The shelter offers counseling, job skills education, English classes, computer instruction and tutoring for children. Casa Nueva Vida is currently in the process of expanding its services to Lawrence and needs to raise $1.1 million for the purchase and renovation of a Victorian home that will serve 14 families. They also accept donations of items such as furniture, baby clothes and household appliances. To learn more or to make a financial contribution, call 617-524-6332 or visit their Web site at casanuevavida.org.
• Catholic Charities, an agency of the Archdiocese of Boston, helps more than 200,000 people each year regardless of faith. Its 40 locations offer services such as adult education programs, childcare, elder social service programs and youth counselors and mentors. Volunteer opportunities from food pantry assistants to ESL tutors are available throughout Greater Boston. The organization also accepts monetary donations and gifts of furniture and gift certificates. For information, call 617-482-5440 or visit ccab.org/give.
• Children’s Hospital Boston is a special place committed to advancing pediatric care, leading cutting-edge research and caring for families in Boston and beyond. Make a one-time gift, donate on a monthly basis, honor a special occasion with a donation or explore family philanthropy through Children’s 26 Steps, a step-by-step program that teaches children a lifetime of giving. For more information, call Michelle Wall at Children’s Hospital Trust, 857-218-3133 or by email, specialoccasion@chtrust.org.
• Citizens Energy, 88 Black Falcon Ave., Suite 342, Boston, founded in 1979 by former Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II, to provide low-cost heating oil to the poor and elderly. Today, the organization helps over 40,000 people in Massachusetts and 200,000 nationwide heat their homes with oil and natural gas programs. Help make sure no one in your community has to face freezing temperatures alone by donating online at citizensenergy.com. You can also mail a check to Citizens Programs/CITGO Oil Heat Assistance, P.O. Box 468, Franklin, MA, 02038.
• Combined Jewish Philanthropies, whose Jewish Community Volunteer Program (JCVP) is a clearinghouse for year-round opportunities, needs volunteers of all ages for time commitments ranging from two hours a year to one hour a week. Let the JCVP match your talents to their specific needs. Call 617- 558-6585 or e-mal jcvp@cjp.org. You can also visit them online at cjp.org for more information.
• Community Servings, 18 Marbury Terrace, Jamaica Plain, delivers nearly 3,500 free meals each week to homebound individuals and families with life-threatening injuries. Volunteers can help by working in the kitchen, delivering meals and donating time at special events. Monetary donations are also needed. For volunteer opportunities, contact Volunteer Recruitment Coordinator Rebecca Ober at 617-552-7777, ext. 228 or by email at robber@servings.org. For information about donations, call Tim Leahy at ext. 230 or send an email to tleahy@servings.org. You can also visit servings.org.
• Dare Family Services, 265 Medford St., Suite 500, Somerville, is a nonprofit social-service agency that provides mentor homes, case management and support services for abused, ill or neglected children. Dare also offers group residential services and parenting-skills training to pregnant and parenting adolescents, crisis intervention counseling to at-risk youths and housing and life skills training to developmentally, physically and mentally challenged adults. Dare welcomes donations and financial contributions. For more information, call 617-629-2710.
• Families First, 99 Bishop Richard Allen Drive, Cambridge, strengthens families of all backgrounds and life circumstances by providing parenting education and support through seminars, workshops and consultations. Financial contributions allow parents to receive fee assistance, making programs accessible to all. Volunteers are needed to help with office support and serve on organizational committees. To make a donation or volunteer, call 617-868-7687 or visit families-first.org.
• Family Service of Greater Boston, 31 Heath Street, Jamaica Plain, at 172 years old is one of the oldest non-profit social service agencies in Boston dedicated to serving children, youth, and families struggling with emotional, psychological, and economic effects of poverty, abuse, and neglect. Financial donations are accepted and volunteer opportunities are available. Call 617-523-6400 for more information or visit fsgb.org.
• The Good Neighbor Energy Fund, administered by the Salvation Army, provides energy assistance to residents in temporary financial crisis who do not qualify for federal or state energy funds. To donate to the fund, use the mint green donation envelopes provided with your monthly energy bills each winter or contribute online at salvationarmy.org. You can also send a check to The Salvation Army, 147 Berkeley St., Boston. Call 617-542-5420 for more information.
• The Greater Boston Food Bank supplies more than 600 member feeding programs, including food pantries, homeless shelters, transitional houses and daycare centers for at-risk children. The Food Bank seeks volunteers – individual, civic organizations and schools – for food sorting, special events and administrative support at their 99 Atkinson St., Boston headquarters. Financial contributions and food donations are also needed. See gbfb.org for more information and for a complete list of local food pantries and soup kitchens they serve. To volunteer, call 617-427-5200.
• Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston, Inc., 273 Summer Street, Boston, is a volunteer-driven, nonprofit housing organization that seeks to help low-income families achieve the American dream of homeownership in Boston and 26 surrounding cities and towns. Financial contributions are always needed. Children ages 16 and over may volunteer on our work sites, with adult supervision. Other volunteer opportunities, including administrative serving on committees, are also available. For more information, visit the organization’s Web site at habitatboston.org or call 617-423-2223.
• Heading Home, Inc., provides housing in conjunction with effective support services to help change the conditions that create homelessness in Greater Boston. They operate family shelters in Boston and Medford and additional shelters and support programs, such as Project Connect and the Community Legal Assistance Service Project, throughout the area. Heading Home accepts financial contributions and recruits volunteers to ready apartments for occupancy, to help families move into permanent housing and participate in educational events. They also accept donations of cleaning supplies, bedding, baby items and clothing. For a complete list of needed items and for more information, call 617-864-8140 or visit headinghomeinc.org.
• Help for Abused Women and their Children (HAWC) provides emergency assistance, legal and hospital advocacy and counseling to victims of domestic violence and their children in 23 communities on the North Shore. HAWC requests donations of gift cards (stores such as Shaw’s, Market Basket, Target, Kohl’s, CVS and Walgreen’s), and baby items such as diapers, wipes, powder, baby lotion and bibs. Volunteer opportunities are also available. Call 978-744-8552 or visit helpabusedwomen.org for more information and specific items needed for its annual Holiday Store.
• The Home for Little Wanderers is America's oldest and New England's largest child welfare agency, serving thousands of vulnerable children and their families each year. The Home offers residential and community-based programs for children and youth, from birth to age 21. Along with monetary support, The Home also needs passes to movie theaters, museums and events, gift certificates to stores such as Target, Walmart and Best Buy and art and school supplies. For information about its on-line gift shop, donating a gift or volunteering, visit thehome.org or call 1-888-HOME-321 or 617-267-3700.
• Homes for Families, 14 Beacon St., Suite 615, Boston, creates and advocates for public policy to end family homelessness. Besides advocacy, their programs include community organizing, leadership development and communications. Financial contributions sponsor public speaking events, focus group participants and more. Volunteers are also needed to organize fundraisers, assist with mailings and events and with childcare at partner meetings. For more information, visit homesforfamilies.org.
• Horizons for Homeless Children is a nonprofit that provides homeless children in Massachusetts with the nurturing, stimulation and opportunities for early education and play that all children need and connects their parents with tools to achieve social and economic self-sufficiency. HHC provides leadership in advocating for homeless children and their families through leveraging and sharing expertise with others and advocating with policy makers and the public. Volunteers, financial donations, toys, board games books and many other classroom supplies are needed on an ongoing basis. For details visit horizonsforhomelesschildren.org or call 800-560-7702.
• Hospitality Homes provides free accommodations in volunteer host homes for families and friends of patients traveling long distances for treatment at Boston-area hospitals. Host families provide a clean, comfortable place to sleep and access to a bathroom. Guests are responsible for meals and transportation. For information on hosting and other volunteer opportunities, or to contribute to the program’s wish list, call 617-482-4338 or visit hosp.org.
• Hyman Novack Medical Day Care Program at Franciscan Hospital for Children in Boston, is a daycare facility that provides ongoing nursing, medical and educational services to medically dependent children, ages 4 weeks to 5 years. The program helps children with disabilities develop social and cognitive skills and offers home-health services, as well as services to families coping with a child’s life-threatening illness. Donations of new clothing, books and toys – unwrapped but with wrapping paper – are desired. Volunteers are also needed for the daycare center. Call 617-254-3800, ext. 1139, for information.
• The Italian Home for Children is a nonprofit, nonsectarian treatment facility in Jamaica Plain offering a variety of residential and community based programs serving emotionally disturbed and special needs children ages 4 to 14 and their families. Visit The Italian Home online at italianhome.org for a wish of list of items needed and other giving opportunities. Call 617-524-3116 for more information.
• Jewish Family & Children's Service of Greater Bostonn (locations in Waltham, Boston and Norwood) has for almost 150 years provided people of all religious and cultural backgrounds with vital support at critical stages of their lives from newborns and their parents, to individuals with disabilities, to the elderly and families in crisis. Volunteers are a vital part of JF&CS and they could not possibly serve 30,000 people each year without their help. People of all ages and faiths generously give their time, energy and experience. Monetary donations are also accepted. For information, call 781-647-JFCS (5327) or visit jfcsboston.org.
• Jewish Family Service of Metrowest, 475 Franklin St., Framingham, is a non-profit, non-sectarian social-service agency providing a range of services to people of all ages, faiths, and backgrounds. Programs include adoption services and birth parents counseling, Geriatric Care Management, Home Care, citizenship, resettlement, support for vulnerable children, and many other programs and services. Tax-deductible donations help those who cannot afford to pay for services. Volunteers are always needed. For information, call 508-875-3100 or visit jfsmw.org.
• Lazarus House, P.O. Box 408, Lawrence, is a temporary emergency shelter for homeless people in the Merrimack Valley area. Run by Lazarus House Ministries, the shelter provides a food pantry, soup kitchen, thrift stores, soup truck, medical and dental clinic, child-learning center, job-training program, home for those with HIV or AIDS and a 20-unit apartment building for transitional housing. Volunteers are needed to serve meals, mentor residents and help with childcare and in the thrift shop and medical and dental clinics. Donations of money, nonperishable food items, paper products, toiletries, adult winter gloves, new underwear for children and adults, twin and double sheets and new toys for older children are also needed. Call 978-689-8575 about volunteering and donations. See LazarusHouse.org for information.
• Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts is a nonprofit organization dedicated to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. The Massachusetts chapter serves children throughout the state and has fulfilled more than 3,800 wishes since 1987. Community and volunteer support is critical to its fundraising efforts and its wish-granting program. For more information about volunteer opportunities, please call Krista Bishop at 617-367-9474 or via email at kbishop@mass.wish.org. To make a donation or learn more about the foundation’s upcoming annual Holiday Wish-A-Thon from Nov. 29-Dec. 12 at the Terrace Food Court at the Shops at the Prudential Center, please call Jessica Coviello at 617-367-WISH. Or visit the organization’s Web site at mass.wish.org for more information.
• The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless works to prevent at-risk families and individuals from losing their housing and assists those making the transition from shelters to homes with furniture and household items. During the holidays, The Coalition collects new toys for homeless children so they aren’t forgotten during the holidays and they also need volunteers to start gift-wrapping activities. Donations of blankets during the winter would also be very helpful. Financial donations that can contribute towards making life brighter for homeless children and those newly housed with their families would be greatly appreciated. For more information, call 781-595-7570, ext. 19.
• MATCH-UP Interfaith Volunteers Inc., 105 Chauncey St., Suite 801, Boston, is a nonprofit organization serving elders and disabled adults living in the Boston area. It recruits volunteers to visit elders and help with simple but crucial tasks through its Friendly Visiting Program, where volunteers develop one-on-one friendships with seniors. MATCH-UP also provides flexible volunteer opportunities, such as bringing elders to and from medical appointments. To volunteer or make a financial contribution, call 617-482-1510 or visit matchelder.org.
• Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries’ primary mission is to provide exemplary job training and related services to help individuals with disabilities and other barriers to self-sufficiency achieve independence and dignity through work. Financial support and donations of clothing, household goods, small appliances and books are needed. The organization also provides clothing for the Pine St. Inn homeless shelter. Drop off sites include Goodwill’s attended donation centers and stores and municipal recycling centers. Call 888-828-GIVE or visit goodwillmass.org.
• The One Family Scholars program helps formerly homeless and at-risk women achieve economic self-sufficiency and dignity through college scholarships, career development and leadership training. The current 2007-2008 academic class boasted 125 scholars who are pursuing degrees at colleges and universities. Their children also benefit from the stability, hope and example of their mothers’ successes. Visit onefamilyinc.org to learn more or donate.
• Our Place Day Care Center, 402 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, is a childcare center for homeless children run by The Salvation Army. Art supplies, play-doh, clothes, baby food and baby wipes are needed. Volunteers to interact with children in the classroom are welcomed. Call Collin Radix-Carter or Darlene Kopesky at 617-547-3400 for information.
• Project Bread, 145 Border St., East Boston, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to alleviating, preventing, and ultimately ending hunger in Massachusetts. Project Bread sponsors the annual Walk for Hunger, runs the only statewide hotline for hungry people, funds 400 emergency food programs each year, and develops hunger prevention programs that feed hungry children where they live, learn and play. Volunteers are needed year-round for outreach campaigns and special events, especially the Walk for Hunger on May 3, 2009. Donations can be made online. Also check the Web site for this year’s fundraising holiday cards. Call 617-723-5000 or visit projectbread.org.
• Project Just Because, 45 G South St., Hopkinton, helps families in need in the greater Metro West community by providing basic necessities, such as clothing, blankets, bedding, baby items, school supplies, toiletries and furniture. Donations and financial support are needed throughout the year. The organization also provides toys for children hospitalized during the holidays, and is taking in families for its Holiday Wish List program. To adopt a child’s or parent’s holiday wish list, visit the organization’s Web site at projectjustbecause.org. You can also call Cherylann Lambert Walsh at 508-435-6511 for more information.
• Project Linus of Greater Boston is a 100-percent volunteer organization dedicated to creating and delivering new, handmade blankets to any child who may be in need of some extra comforting. Their goal by year’s end is to donate 30,000 blankets. They are almost there! Help by making a handmade blanket or by donating yarn and other materials to regular volunteers. For more information and for drop-off locations, visit bostonprojectlinus.com.
• Room to Dream Foundation, 1172 Beacon St., Suite 202, Newton, creates unique living spaces in hospitals, communities and homes for children with chronic illnesses. The idea is to help these kids recuperate and recover by improving their quality of life in cheerful, imaginative rooms. The foundation purchases all needed furniture and supplies to cater to the specific needs of each child. To donate to Room to Dream, call 617-332-3066 or visit their Web site at roomtodreamfoundation.org.
• Room to Grow, 142 Berkeley St., Boston, enriches the lives of babies born into poverty during the critical first three years of development by providing families with one-on-one parenting guidance, developmental information and support to give their baby a strong, healthy start. Clothing, to size 4T, toys, books, strollers, high chairs and many other items are accepted. For a complete list and to arrange a drop-off, call 617-859-4545 or visit roomtogrow.org for more information.
• Rosie’s Place, 889 Harrison Ave., Boston, a sanctuary for homeless women, needs volunteers throughout the year. Rosie’s accepts donations of seasonal women’s clothing, particularly nightgowns, slippers, new underwear, bras and socks, toiletries, non-perishable food items and children’s books. Attend WBUR’s reading of A Christmas Carol, held at the Omni Parker Hotel on Dec. 19, at 7pm and check out Rosie’s line of Christmas cards, both which raise funds for Rosie’s Place. To make a donation or volunteer, call 617-442-9322 or visit rosiesplace.org.
• Smiling Kids Inc., 53 Richards Road, Southboro, which provides birthday gifts and other items anonymously to children in need by working with local service agencies and public officials, is turning five! In the past five years, the organization distributed 6,500 gifts, expanded their services to 25 communities, and helped facilitate 93 “Parties With a Purpose,” which invite birthday party guests to donate to Smiling Kids instead of bringing gifts. Help by making a financial donation or by hosting “A Party With a Purpose.” For information, visit smilingkidsinc.org or call 508-281-0069.
• The Salvation Army, 147 Berkeley St., Boston, offers a wide range of direct, community-based programs through many sites in Massachusetts. It is particularly focused on services for children, including childcare and after school activities, teen parenting programs and rehabilitation for juvenile offenders. Donations of new toys, food, and warm winter clothing are needed, as are volunteers for the Salvation Army’s kettles, and to assist special holiday drives and events. Or, sponsor a family this Christmas through Adopt-A-Family. Year-round, the agency needs monetary donations, food and new or used clothing. Call 617-542-5420 or visit use.salvationarmy.org/mas for information, or contact Carolyn Brunis at 617-542-5420, ext. 182, to volunteer.
• Spread the Bread is a grassroots organization started by two Wayland moms, Karen Kiefer and Juliette Fay, and has spread as far as France and the Philippines. Spread the Bread encourages our world, especially youth, to bake any kind of bread and spread that bread to honor our heroes and to help those in need. Spread the Bread also partners with groups such as the Boy and Girl Scouts to spread giving throughout communities. To make a donation, or to find out how you can start your own Spread the Bread program, visit spreadthebread.org.
• Toys for Tots is a national program that matches donated toys with needy children in the Boston area. To locate a store where donations can be made or make a donation online, visit toysfortots.org.
• United Way of Massachusetts Bay & Merrimack Valley offers a comprehensive list of area organizations that need volunteers and donations throughout the year. For more information, call 2-1-1, United Way’s free referral hotline, or check the Web at uwmb.org.
• Welcome Baby, a program of the Family Nurturing Center, 200 Bowdoin St., Dorchester, fills 800 gift baskets a year for delivery to families with newborns in Dorchester, Roslindale and Allston-Brighton as a first step in connecting families to community resources. The following items are needed: baby shampoo and lotion, handmade blankets (size 40"x40"), diapers (size 2 or 3), children’s books in various languages, educational toys and office supplies. Welcome Baby seeks volunteers and individuals, organizations, or faith-based groups to make or gather gifts for newborns. For more information, visit familynurturing.org or contact Valerie Bean at the Family Nurturing Center, 617-474-1143.
• Wellspring Cape Ann Families, the family support and education center of Wellspring House, 28 Emerson Ave., Gloucester, provides education and support to area parents and children living in stressful situations and isolation. Volunteers are needed, particularly for childcare and teen and adult mentoring. The organization is also looking for people with special talents – such as guitar playing or leading parent workshops – to volunteer for one-time events. Monetary donations and gifts of furniture, professional clothing, computers and toys and books, are also welcome. For more information about volunteering, call 978-281-7856.
• Wellspring House, 302 Essex Ave., Gloucester, is a community of faith that provides shelter for homeless families and helps those in need with affordable housing, local economic opportunity, support and education. Volunteers, adults and teens are needed to tutor, mentor, cook and help with a variety of programs. Call 978-281-3558 ext. 303.
-Compiled by Michelle Xiarhos Curran
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