In a season of celebration and gratitude, we’re all in the mood to find ways to give back to our community and make a positive impact. Whether you have money, materials, or just personal time to give, there are plenty of organizations eager for help that you can offer yourself to for the benefit of our community this season. Check out a few ways to get involved and worthy local organizations to support.
Donate food
Providing a hot holiday meal to those who could not otherwise access one is a great way to make a difference this year. One national organization that makes it incredibly easy to donate food items is Loaves and Fishes, which conveniently has a drop off location right in Charlotte at 648 Griffin Road. The location accepts donations from Monday-Friday between 8:30 am – 4:00 pm, leaving plenty of time to squeeze a drop off into your jam-packed holiday schedule. They accept a variety of nonperishables you may already have in your pantry, like canned meats including tuna, canned fruits, dried pasta, and rice. A few extra groceries could make a huge difference in a local family’s holiday season.
Clean out your closet
With all the holiday season shopping and influx of gifts, it’s likely your closet gets more crowded than usual this time of year. It’s the perfect time to head a head start on spring cleaning and beginning purging your closet of clothes you no longer wear or need. It’s the time of year when underprivileged people in our community need clothing donations like coats, gloves, and hats more than ever – and you may be surprised to discover how many unused winter essentials you have in the back of your closet!
One great organization you can access in Charlotte is the Crisis Assistance Ministry, which makes donating simple and contact-free, and provides the materials collected to families in need free-of-charge rather than reselling. Located on 500-A Spratt St., they accept donation drop-offs on Tuesday-Friday, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm and Saturday, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm.
Volunteer
If you don’t have extra resources to spare this season, or simply would like to get more deeply involved with local nonprofits, there are a variety of organizations to extend your free time to. Both organizations mentioned above are always looking for volunteers to help push their mission forward and have adopted new volunteer procedures to optimize safety regarding COVID-19. More organizations in need of Charlotte-based volunteers include:
- Operation Christmas Child
- Operation Homefront
- Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte
- Refuge Support Services
Giving back to the community in any way possible is essential to our firm. See some of the work we’ve done in the Charlotte community that you may be interested in getting involved with here.
