The Christmas season has a funny way of making us feel more generous. Fueled by the spirit of good cheer, we’re more likely to drop some change in the Salvation Army bucket or donate some food to a local food pantry. However, if you want to be intentional about your giving through making sure it’s going to the best charities possible, here’s a list of three well-respected charities to consider donating to this holiday season:
Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation made national headlines this year through granting 5-year-old Miles Scott his wish of being Batman for a day. On average, the charity grants a wish for a child with a life-threatening health condition every 38 minutes. Founded in 1980, the Make-A-Wish foundation is now one of America’s leading children’s charities, with 62 chapters in the United States and nearly 25,000 volunteers. The foundation believes that helping a child’s dream come true can help give them encouragement to continue fighting their battle. Donating to the Make-A-Wish foundation can enable a child and their family to have a memorable Christmas together. In addition to donating money during the holiday season, you can consider volunteering with a local chapter year-round.
The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree
The Angel Tree program is a charity that provides less-fortunate children with Christmas gifts of new clothes, toys, and other assorted items. The Salvation Army sets up Christmas trees in malls, stores, and other locations, and attaches paper angels with the name, age, and gender of a child who needs a gift. Individuals can choose as many angels as they wish from the tree in order to purchase age appropriate gifts and clothes for the child. Afterwards, you return the angel and the gifts to the station, and the parents of the child will pick up the items to deliver on Christmas day. It’s a great way to become a secret Santa through blessing an unsuspecting child. The Salvation Army was founded in 1852 by minister William Booth, and currently offers aid ranging from prison ministries to homeless shelters in 126 countries worldwide. It ranked #2 on Forbes list of the largest U.S. charities in 2013.
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Toys for Tots
The U.S. Marine Corps Reserves holds annual Toys for Tots campaigns each year to collect toys for children who would not have a Christmas otherwise. The toys are then distributed to needy children in the community where the drive was held. The goal is to provide a message of hope and encouragement to struggling tots in order to encourage them to become productive and responsible citizens. Toys for Tots was originally founded in 1947 by a Los Angeles Major named Bill Hendricks. In 1995, it was approved as an official mission of the Marine Corps Reserves. As of 2013, the campaign has given over 469 million toys to American children.
You can also consider donating food to a local food pantry, handing out Christmas cards at a nursing home to elderly individuals who may not have any family members, or being a secret Santa for a family in the community who have had a rough year. Regardless of whether you volunteer time or donate money, gifts, or food, make it a priority to spread some holiday cheer this Christmas season.
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