Serving the Community at Christmastime (Part 3)
In our past two posts, we discussed how to serve the community effectively at Christmastime as well as individual and corporate ways to serve. In this final post, we will look at a list of ten other local nonprofits that don’t have specific Christmas opportunities, but would certainly benefit from a Christmas donation. Or, consider committing to consistent volunteering with one of these organizations next year as a Christmas gift. Each of these nonprofits fights poverty in a sustainable and effective way.
Habitat for Humanity seeks to put God’s love into action. It brings people together to build homes, communities and hope. Their vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Habitat for Humanity engages and empowers new homeowners by involving them in the whole process.
The Mission’s goal is to glorify God by proclaiming the Gospel and meeting the needs of hungry, hurting and homeless individuals and families in the Washington Metropolitan Area. They provide shelter for crisis situations and immediate needs, but also work to connect each person who visits the shelter to programs that will equip and empower the men to find steady income. They also have Bible studies for men at the shelter and help them understand what it looks like to walk with Christ.
YMCA Youth & Family Services (YMCA- YFS) is a community-based, comprehensive social services branch of the YMCA Metropolitan Washington. YFS provides school and community-based prevention and early intervention services to at-risk and under-served children and families from across Montgomery County, MD. YFS programs address basic social-service needs, teach fundamental life skills and assist participants in making healthy choices.
Prison Fellowship seeks to restore those affected by crime and incarceration by introducing prisoners, victims, and their families to a new hope available through Jesus Christ. They prepare prisoners to return to their communities as good neighbors. They advocate for a criminal justice system that upholds restorative values, so that communities are safer, victims are respected, and those who have caused harm are transformed. Outside prisons, they collaborate with churches, para-church organizations, and local service providers to support families with loved ones behind bars and people affected by crime.
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The rest of this list includes nonprofits that are not explicitly Christian; however, they allow us to care for the least of these in an effective way. They’re strategies for serving others are sustainable and focus on empowering those they serve. They target more than just material poverty, though they do not explicitly preach the gospel at the corporate level.
Community of Hope’s mission is to create opportunities for low-income families in Washington, DC, including those experiencing homelessness, to achieve good health, a stable home, family-sustaining income, and hope. They have five housing programs that connect families with shelter in times of crisis and also job referrals, counseling and mentoring for their children. They also have three health centers to provide for low-income families who are un- or under-insured. Finally, to increase family-sustaining income, they connect families to employment opportunities, insurance, educational opportunities, workforce training and financial literacy training.
Jubilee Jobs is one of the longest-serving and best non-profit workforce development providers in the Greater Washington Region. Jubilee Jobs programs offers hope for jobseekers all over Washington, DC as they strive to overcome often extensive barriers that result from unemployment, learning disabilities, former incarceration, and alcohol/substance abuse. Some individuals desire to leave behind reliance on public subsidies. Others start with little work experience, large gaps in work history, communication or language barriers, low education or weak job proficiency. Jubilee Jobs sees beyond these circumstances and assists every applicant as they take steps toward a better life.
With both their maternity home and the pregnancy center programs, their mission is to support pregnant or parenting women in need, to act on our belief in the intrinsic value and dignity of all human life, and to provide for new beginnings for pregnant or parenting women. The Northwest Center believes that it is essential for every pregnant woman to have access to safe housing, food, clothing, medical care, and educational and/or job opportunities so that she can adequately provide for herself and her children. Their programs are designed to be more than a “band-aid solution,” rather they strive to effectuate real change in the lives of the women and children we serve. The ultimate goal of both programs is to enable our clients to achieve self-sufficiency, which we define as having sustainable employment, adequate health care and viable housing for themselves and their child(ren).
Higher Achievement works to strength middle school students, for they believe it is the last chance they have to get on track for college. Through afterschool and summer academies, the student receive homework coaching, daily meals, intensive small-group academic mentoring, field trips, college visits, and more. Finally, they help the students as they transition to high school.
The mission of the Latino Student Fund (LSF) is to provide opportunities for a strong academic foundation for underserved PreK-12th grade students of Hispanic descent to promote higher education and professional leadership. They support students and their families through scholarships, academic support services and informational outreach.
For Love of Children (FLOC) provides educational services beyond the classroom to help students succeed from first grade through college and career. FLOC brings together students, volunteers, families, and community partners in proven programs that teach, empower, and transform. Their programs include a neighborhood tutoring program, scholars program, and outdoor education center.