The holiday season is upon us, and giving is in the air. We’ve got a round up of some local non-profits and the urgent needs and holiday gifts they are looking for to serve their families. Find one or two that are dear to your heart and see the unique ways to help families in our community!
FM Area Foundation Caring Catalog
The Caring Catalog is an online, giving platform powered by the FM Area Foundation to help connect community members with local non-profits during the holiday season. Search for non-profits by category or name and donate easily to multiple organizations in one place!
Bridging the Gap
This organization hosts giving trees spread out throughout the Fargo-Moorhead area to be gifted to area youth in need. They are seeking volunteers for gift wrapping! Sign up at THIS LINK to find a shift that fits with your schedule. Or, visit their Facebook page to find a giving tree you can donate to.
Christian Adoption Services
Christian Adoption Services supports women across North Dakota and Minnesota through unexpected pregnancy. Their caseworkers put together gift baskets for birthmothers to use during their hospital stay and postpartum care that include comfort items, memory boxes and other items to make their placement process more comfortable. Donations can be made through www.christianadoptionservices.org/donate or items on their Amazon wishlist.
Churches United for the Homeless
Churches United for the Homeless (CUFH) provides shelter and housing for men, women, and families experiencing homelessness in the Fargo-Moorhead area. You can support them this season by donating items on their current needs list, or providing a monetary donation. Diapers, formula, and feminine hygiene products are always welcomed, as well.
Creative Care for Reaching Independence (CCRI)
Dorothy Day Food Pantry
The Dorothy Day Food Pantry continues to provide food to our community at both their West Fargo and Moorhead locations. Donate some food to share, or sign up to volunteer to distribute!
Down Home
Down Home’s mission is to empower lives by furnishing homes for families and individuals emerging from homelessness. You can help them provide Christmas gifts to their clients by signing up to provide an item from their wish list or purchasing directly from their Amazon wish list. Contact [email protected] for more details.
Dakota Boys & Girls Ranch
The Dakota Boys & Girls Ranch provides trauma-informed care to children through Residential Treatment Facilities and Outpatient Psychological Services. You can support them through monetary donations, shopping at their thrift stores, or donating gently used goods to their stores.
If you interested in volunteer opportunities as a family, they have shifts in their thrift stores and warehouses to fit your schedule and group size. Please call 701-224-1789 for more information.
Fargo Public Schools Credit Union Giving Tree
Stop in to either FPSCU location to get an Angel tree tag, and shop in the community or online via their Amazon Wishlist.
Golden Drive Homeless Kids
They are collecting new items/gifts for kids in local homeless shelters. Drop-off locations will be listed on their Facebook page.
Great Plains Food Bank
Our local food banks are in need of support during the holiday season. For ways to volunteer, donate food, or provide a monetary donation, visit their website. For tips on creating your own neighborhood food drive, check out our post here!
Heart ‘N Soul Community Cafe
Heart ‘N Soul is a cafe dedicated to serving local, healthy, delicious meals to everyone in our community with dignity and respect with pay what you can afford pricing. There are numerous ways individuals, organizations, and groups can help out:
- Sponsor a Weekend Lunch: Through a monetary donation for purchasing quality ingredients and additional materials to provide a nutritious weekend lunch that will be delivered to community members in need during this pandemic.
- Enjoy a Meal: Stop by one of their events and enjoy a meal where you can pay what you can afford, pay it forward, or volunteer in exchange for a meal. Check out their Facebook page for upcoming meals!
- Volunteer in the Kitchen: Help with assembling dishes, cooking, and serving to those in the community that need them.
- Create cards of encouragement to go in the to-go lunches to help brighten each recipient’s day.
Hope Blooms
Hope Blooms re-purposes donated flowers from special events by rearranging them into bedside bouquets and delivering them to individuals in hospice care, living in nursing homes, long-term care facilities and assisted living as well as struggling mothers and families facing loss or difficult times. If you’d like to volunteer to make flower arrangements (no experience necessary), click on their volunteer calendar to find an available time (masks are required). Other ways to give back include donating mason jars (or jars of similar size, like spaghetti sauce), shopping their Amazon Wishlist, or providing a monetary donation.
Jeremiah Program
The Jeremiah Program works to transform families from poverty to prosperity through education and employment. You can donate to support families by purchasing items on the organization’s Amazon Wishlist or providing a monetary donation through their Giving Page.
Joy Project
The Joy Project shares JOY with people living in temporary housing in the Fargo-Moorhead area. You can help this holiday season by donating some needed items. Check their Facebook page for updates.
Matthew’s Voice Project
Students in the FM Area who are experiencing homelessness get to pick a specific list of items customized to their dreams. Lists from students at Fargo, West Fargo & Moorhead Public Schools will be available soon. Delivery locations will be announced once finalized, but the date for wrapped presents to be dropped off is set for Sunday December 10th! Contact [email protected] for more information.
New Life Center
The New Life Center is Fargo’s oldest and largest rescue mission. To ensure social distancing measures are practiced, their winter overflow and Genesis Relapse Prevention program are held off-site in other buildings. With the addition of two buildings, transportation, food, and renovation costs for the overflow building, their costs for the year are definitely rising. You can support NLC by providing a monetary donation here, shopping their thrift store, or providing in-kind donations for their most urgent needs.
Open Doors 365
Open Doors serves those in need of household items, clothing, shoes, friendship, and hope. They are always looking for items to stock their store or monetary donations. Details on both can be found on their website.
Perry Center
The Perry Center is a residential home for expectant mothers. They always have ongoing needs to fill for their moms and babies, and you can find their needs list here.
They are always looking for volunteers for Mentor Moms to walk along side Perry Center residents during their pregnancy and beyond.
Rape & Abuse Crisis Center
RACC serves over 2,500 clients each year, and provides both crisis intervention and therapeutic services for clients. Crisis intervention needs include gift cards for Wal-Mart, Target, or Visa, grocery cards, or gas cards. Therapeutic needs include diapers, baby wipes, hygiene products like toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, bath soap, and feminine hygiene, and hats, gloves, and socks. Gift cards to fast food restaurants, haircuts, and oil changes are a great help as well as are financial donations.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley
The biggest support RMHC needs currently is help with meals for the families staying at their guest house. Donations of ingredients, frozen meals, or restaurant gift cards are a huge help at this time to continue providing meals to families. To help donate their most-needed items right now, please check out their wish list, or provide a monetary contribution online.
Salvation Army
We’ve all seen the red kettles spread throughout the community at Christmas time, but the Salvation Army helps support families in so many other ways. Find out the unique ways to help families supported by the SA by visiting their website.
Valley Senior Services
Community members are invited and encouraged to adopt an area senior by getting a wish list and shopping for Christmas gifts. Call (701) 293-1440 for more details.
YMCA
The YMCA offers a youth food program where mini pantries are offered along with select family services for those who need it during the holidays. They also have a giving tree at both locations to support families and kids in need. Please click here to make a donation online.
YWCA
The YWCA operates the largest Emergency Shelter for women and children in the area. They provide safe and affordable, short and long term supportive housing options for low-income women. They have several ways to help this holiday season:.
- Adopt-a-Family: much like Unique Boutique, this opportunity is looking for individuals to support a woman or family in YWCA Supportive Housing Program this season by providing the items from their Santa wish list(s).
- Fill a Home with Hope: asking for general support of our Supportive Housing Program by providing household items that will help individuals fill their homes with essentials this holiday season.
- Stuff the Bus: a MATBUS travels around town collecting donated gifts on December 6 & 7th. See their website for more information.
Know of other non-profits to support this holiday season? Contact us at [email protected] and let us know who to add!
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