The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is known on social media as #GivingTuesday, a day when you are encouraged to commit acts of generosity.
Giving Tuesday began in 2012 as a social-media hashtag and has grown into one of the biggest fundraising dates of the year.
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During the annual initiative, charities receive billions in donations from U.S. donors.
For those who’d like to participate in Giving Tuesday, we assembled a list of charitable Houston organizations worth considering. The station has featured several of these organizations through its KPRC 2 Community initiative.
What organizations would you add to this list? Share your recommendations with us in the comment section.
MORE: Giving Tuesday 2023: What it is and how to get involved
- BakerRipley: “BakerRipley brings resources, education, and connection to more than half a million people throughout Texas each year. For more than a century, BakerRipley has offered innovative solutions to uplift and empower underserved communities as they pursue opportunities that create new and better lives for themselves and their families. BakerRipley is a United Way Agency.”
- BEAR: “Each fall, BEAR’s Back to School program, which serves over 11,000 children annually, helps ensure that children who might otherwise go without have the confidence, normalcy, and school supplies they need to start the school year off right. Resources like backpacks and school supplies make a HUGE difference in the life of a child’s academic success.”
- B.I.G. Love Cancer Care: “B.I.G. Love Cancer Care was established in February of 2007 in memory of Brooke A. Phillips with one primary focus — easing the childhood cancer journey. B.I.G. Love Cancer Care’s core mission is to meet the most basic and urgent physical, emotional, and financial needs of pediatric oncology and hematology patients and their families.”
- Books Between Kids: “Books Between Kids addresses a desperate need in our community, the need for children to have access to books outside of school. Since we were founded, in the Fall of 2012, our mission has been to get books into the hands of economically disadvantaged children in Houston.”
- Boots for Troops: “The mission at Boots For Troops is to uplift and empower the over-all morale and mental well-being of deployed service members defending our freedom.”
- Barbara Bush Literacy Foundation: “The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation is a charitable organization formed by Neil and Maria Bush to carry forth First Lady Barbara Bush’s legacy in the literacy cause and to focus deeply on breaking the intergenerational cycle of low literacy in the Bush family’s hometown. Founded on Mrs. Bush’s belief, “If you help a person to read, then their opportunities in life will be endless,” the Barbara Bush Foundation’s mission is to improve lives through the power of literacy. Over the past 10 years, the Foundation has spearheaded innovative literacy programs and expanded access to high-quality services and resources that empower children, families, and adults with the support they need to learn how to read, write, and comprehend.”
- Ethan’s Ohana: “Our mission is to ensure that no child or family is left behind or forgotten throughout their journey with pediatric cancer. We will inspire acts of kindness towards others and create a community of support and understanding that nurtures hope, healing and resilience.”
- Harrison’s Heroes: “Hospitals have their purpose but they aren’t great places for anyone, especially children. Harrison’s Heroes helps the welfare of children experiencing extended hospital stays by providing them with the aspects that remind them of home.”
- H. E. A. R. T.: “The H.E.A.R.T. Program (Housing, Entrepreneurship And Readiness Training) was founded to create new opportunities for adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) to achieve their potential.”
- Houston Area Women’s Center: “The Houston Area Women’s Center serves thousands of women, children and families each year escaping domestic violence, sexual assault or sex trafficking. We help survivors transform their lives, free from violence. Because of their courage, we are convinced that this crisis can and must be stopped.”
- Houston Food Bank: “Around 1 million people in the 18 southeast Texas counties served by Houston Food Bank are considered food insecure, meaning they lack consistent access to enough nutritious food to fuel a healthy life. In order to address this issue, the Houston Food Bank distributes food and other essentials to those in need through a network of more than 1,600 community partners. In addition, we also provide programs and services aimed at helping families achieve long-term stability including nutrition education, health management, and help in securing state-funded assistance.”
- Houston Habitat for Humanity: “Since 1987, individuals, businesses and groups in our community have joined Houston Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place people call home.”
- Houston SPCA: “Community leaders established Houston SPCA nearly 100 years ago to meet the needs of animals in Houston, and we have always put their care and wellbeing first in everything we do. An iconic Houston nonprofit, our organization has grown along with our beloved city, and we have continually adapted our efforts to help the animals in our community best. Since our inception, Houston SPCA has saved and provided services for millions of animals.”
- Kids’ Meals: “Kids’ Meals’mission is to end childhood hunger in Houston by delivering free healthy meals, year-round to the doorsteps of Houston’s hungriest preschool-aged children and through collaboration provide their families with resources to end the cycle of poverty.”
- Rebuilding Together Houston: “Every spring and fall hundreds of volunteers generously give their time to help us complete our home repair projects. We’ve helped more than 14,800 families over our 41 years. That’s about a home a day during that time! Our repairs make homes safer and more resilient, and are done at no cost to the homeowners.”
- The Rose: “Since its launch in 1986, The Rose has served nearly 800,000 patients and is now the leading nonprofit breast health care organization in southeast Texas. Our board-certified radiologists, specialized technical staff, five Mammography Coaches, and Diagnostic Imaging Centers give access to treatment to more than 40,000 women annually.”
- Salvation Army Houston: “Since 1889, The Salvation Army of Greater Houston has provided and responded to the basic needs of Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery Counties. We are a resource for countless families, youth, seniors, and the unsheltered through programs that focus on our three pillars; Life Navigation, Rehabilitation, and Youth Development. We provide assistance to over 50,000 each year at over 20 Houston area locations.”
- Second Servings: “Second Servings’ mission is to alleviate hunger and reduce waste in Houston by rescuing perfectly edible surplus food, and delivering it directly to local nonprofits. As the only prepared and perishable food rescue organization in Houston, we are growing exponentially and now reach approximately 200,000 people annually. We deliver high-quality, fresh food to over 140 Houston-area shelters, soup kitchens, low-income housing and other nonprofits from our generous donors, such as distributors, retailers, hotels, sports venues, etc.”
- Sleep in Heavenly Peace: “We’re a group of volunteers dedicated to building, assembling and delivering top-notch bunk beds to children and families in need. Our organization has grown steadily over time, and we’re working on opening more chapters in different states to serve more people.”
- Undies for Everyone: “Undies for Everyone provides new underwear for over 200,000 U.S. children living in poverty or crisis. With newfound confidence and self-esteem, students are ready to learn and grow.”
Do you plan to participate in Giving Tuesday? What issues or causes are you supporting? What do you plan to do this holiday season to “give back”?