When thoughts turn to giving during the Holidays, it can sometimes be confusing to find just the right charity to donate to given that there are so many to choose from. An informal polling of the Tacoma Weekly staff revealed the following list of 10 suggestions that we’ve put together to help provide ideas to thoughtful Tacomans. There are a lot more where these came from – check out greatnonprofits.org/city/tacoma/WA where you can search area charities by category.
Tacoma Rescue Mission
It seems that everywhere you go these days, people of all ages are living on the streets or standing on a corner holding a sign in the hopes that someone will help them out with a dollar or two. And now that the weather is turning cold, places like the Tacoma Rescue Mission are a godsend. In addition to offering more than 250 people a warm and dry shelter every night, the Mission provides 1,200 meals a day to homeless and low-income people, a nurturing Family Life Program to keep families together during recovery, and more than 300 children every year call the Mission their home while their families heal. Their Veterans Resource Center assists homeless veterans in partnership with the U.S. Veterans Affairs Administration and the Mission also helps students to achieve high school credit toward their high school diploma. Tacoma Rescue Mission can really stretch a dollar too – less than $20 provides a meal, shelter and care this Christmas. Learn more at www.trm.org or call (253) 383-4493.
New Phoebe House
Since opening in 2002, New Phoebe House Association has helped to reunify more than 450 Pierce County mothers and their children who had been torn apart by chemical dependence. By providing housing, services, more than a dozen programs and ongoing support, women heal, learn self-sufficiency and clean and sober living, which in turn gives them the tools to raise their children and break the cycle of substance abuse, homelessness and incarceration. When others had given up on them, a group of concerned citizens banned together with the City of Tacoma and Pierce County to address this need and the non-profit New Phoebe House Association was born. As residents are assured that their day-to-day needs for food, shelter, referrals for medical, mental health, dental care, and clothing assistance are met, they can focus on remaining clean and sober, developing job skills, gaining education, becoming financially literate, building a resource network, and increasing parenting skills. This comprehensive approach allows the women and children to live in the New Phoebe House for up to two years. At the end of this time period, the program goals aim for each woman to be self-sufficient, more resilient, able to parent in a loving and safe manner, and transitioned to more permanent housing.
There are all kinds of ways to give to New Phoebe House, from financial donations to volunteer time and practical items like new mattresses, pillows and towels. Learn more by calling (253) 383-7710 or visit www.NewPhoebeHouse.org.
HopeSparks
Since 1895, HopeSparks has been lighting the way in Tacoma and Pierce County through innovative programs that help children and families get the tools, resources and skills they need to lead successful lives and raise successful kids. Serving some of the most vulnerable families in Pierce County doesn’t always mean income-based but also their life experiences that a lot of these families have gone through or are currently going through. HopeSparks has 120 years of not just changing one family at a time but changing the community. Today HopeSparks comprises five core behavioral health programs that serve children and families in Pierce County who face trauma, abuse and overwhelming life challenges: Healing Hearts Counseling, Children’s Developmental Services, Relatives Raising Children, Eating Recovery (for eating disorders) and Family Support Services.
During 2014, HopeSparks served nearly 3,800 children and families, providing more than 27,000 family sessions and home visits agency-wide. If you would like to help HopeSparks continue this amazing record of success, call them at (253) 565-4484 or visit www.HopeSparks.org.
Northwest Leadership Foundation
In 1989 a group of faith leaders in Seattle began a series of conversations asking, “Do our leaders reflect the diversity of the community?” “Are these leaders equipped to tackle complex trends and entrenched social issues in collaboration and compassion?” “How will the leaders of our community continue to be trained and nurtured?” Subsequently, the Northwest Leadership Foundation was established in Tacoma in an attempt to respond to those questions. As a faith-based, nonprofit organization, NLF exists to encourage, develop and strengthen leadership for the spiritual and social renewal of the city. NLF believes that effective leadership sets the tone for a good city or community to bring about change through social entrepreneurship, faith and citizenship. NLF specifically invites youth to serve and resolve to participate in the world; not in ways that sustain the status quo but as change makers for the good. Programs include: mentoring to nurture a young person’s assets; full tuition, full-need urban leadership scholarships; Urban Leaders in Training to serve the city of Tacoma for one year; Proyecto MoLE to build academic, personal and cultural pride in Latino youth; Leaders in Women’s Health to impact health disparities in communities of color; and much more.
To give, call (253) 272-0771 or visit www.NorthwestLeadership.org.
Citizens for a Healthy Bay
With so much lately threatening Tacoma’s environment – methanol, liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants – Citizens for a Healthy Bay is needed now more than ever. CHB was formed in 1990 to represent Tacoma citizens in the Superfund clean-up of Commencement Bay, at the time one of the most polluted bodies of water in the country. Working side-by-side with local citizens, businesses and government, this non-profit’s mission is to clean up, restore and protect Commencement Bay, its surrounding waters and natural habitat to prevent water pollution and make our community more sustainable. CHB continues to be the community’s watchdog for toxic clean-ups, land use and other actions that can impact the health of our water resources. In addition, CHB offers engaging and educational presentations tailored to community organizations, concerned citizens, boaters and school groups of all ages. Keep Tacoma beautiful! Donate to the cause by calling (2530 383-2429 or visit www.HealthyBay.org.
The Dugan Foundation
The Dugan Foundation is founded on the principle that there is no reason to kill a companion animal for population control. Therefore, the Foundation does everything in its power to assist existing non-profit organizations to shelter, adopt and care for homeless companion animals. It also works to ensure that all of its programs have an educational component to allow people to learn what it takes to make a no-kill community, which is based on the development and implementation of a community-wide comprehensive animal welfare plan. Through community events like Happy Howlidays pet food drive, Woofstock pet adoption and music festival and Fur Ball fundraiser, the Dugan Foundation works to bring people together to care for our four-footed friends. Call (253) 572-7700 or visit www.DuganFoundation.org.
The Rainbow Center
As Tacoma’s only drop-in center for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning community, the Rainbow Center works to educate, advocate and celebrate individual identity for youth and adults alike. Oftentimes, those struggling with their sexual identity don’t know where to turn, or have nowhere to turn, but that’s not the case in Tacoma, as the Rainbow Center offers an open and welcoming atmosphere to find friends, resources and support. From organizing social events and educational opportunities to offering AA meetings and book clubs, the Rainbow Center is there to help. And thanks to receiving a Victims of Crime grant, trained victim advocates at the center can assist with the trauma and the long-term aftermath of victimization in marginalized communities, serving individuals who have been victims of: assault, child physical abuse, DUI/DWI crashes, elder abuse, fraud, hate crimes, identity theft, property crimes, robbery, vehicular assault, homicide/attempted homicide, bullying, human trafficking/exploitation, kidnapping and/or missing person, and other crimes.
Learn more by calling (253) 383-2318 or visit www.rainbowcntr.org.
Northwest Furniture Bank
Serving survivors of domestic abuse, people suffering loss from fire and natural disasters, and families coming from transitional housing, the Northwest Furniture Bank strives to give their clients a bed to sleep on, a sofa to sit on, and a table to eat from. Hundreds of volunteers use their time, talents and donated furniture to restore hope, dignity and stability to families that are working hard to rebuild their lives. As families move through the programs and transitional housing that helps them get back on their feet, they leave with little or nothing. Many can barely afford housing and food, let alone a bed to sleep on or a table to sit at. Furniture is a basic need that determines how people feel about themselves and also how well they will perform in the work place or at school. Northwest Furniture Bank even recycles mattresses and box springs. To find out how you can help, visit www.NWFurnitureBank.org or call (253) 302-3868.
FISH Food Banks of Pierce County
The beauty of donating to FISH Food Banks of Pierce County is that this non-profit distributes food to seven FISH Food Banks and mobile food bank sites across Pierce County to provide nutritious food to people in need with compassion, dignity and respect. This means that donations have a wide reach into communities miles around the greater Tacoma area. And it isn’t a hassle to access the food banks either – all operate on a walk-in basis and new clients are asked to provide I.D. with name, date of birth and current address and the names and birthdays of others in the household. That’s all! FISH serves more than 40,000 individuals each month with the assistance of 700 volunteers. There are numerous ways to help, from donating foods and funds to giving your time. Visit www.FishFoodBanks.org or call (253) 383-3164.
Team Backpack/Forgotten Youth Foundation
Team Backpack reduces some of the hardships homeless teen students face by providing support to keep them mentally focused and in school through what is said to be the most challenging years in life while facing the added stress of living without a permanent home. With the help of donors in the community, it provides backpack and shoulder bags filled with clothing, personal hygiene supplies, gift cards to food establishments, coats, blankets and gift items for the long holiday break and into the rest of the academic year.
Team Backpack started when founder and executive director Nicole Ward saw a need to help those in the community that seem to be forgotten. While working at Rock the Dock Pub & Grill in 2012, Ward was prompted by a random Facebook post from a friend and counselor at Lincoln High School asking for help with a charity for the holidays to assist in an immediate need. Ward posted it on her Facebook page challenging friends to support. Within 45 minutes she received her first backpack from a neighbor and the rest, as they say, is history. Learn how you can help by going to www.TeamBackpack253.org or call (253) 278-2892.