Get Involved with Our Grantees
Pandemic Relief Efforts
Our Summer 2021 School Supplies Collection provided students with back-to-school necessities, including TI83 calculators and kid-sized face masks. Giving Together members and friends contributed generously to the efforts of several of our grantees to give area children a good start to the 2021/2022 school year.
In November 2020, we held a fundraiser to respond to the urgent need for food in our community. Our campaign, "A Different Season of Giving," supported four grantees that address Hunger Relief in our community. The response exceeded our expectations and together we raised the extraordinary amount of $10,000 which has been distributed to our grantees Crossroads Community Food Network, Food for Others, Nourish Now and We Are Family.
In June and July 2020, COVID-19 Relief collection drives were held to provide needed supplies and non-perishable food to eight of our grantees.
Meet Grantees Ongoing Needs
During the pandemic, all of our grantees continue to collect and need a variety of things like gift cards, cleaning supplies, nonperishable food, computers and more. Many of them also need online help with job searches, computer classes, etc. You can read more about this on our grantees' websites.
If you have any questions, please email or call one of us anytime. If you'd like to buy or collect something for one of the programs but aren't able to do the drop off yourself please let us know and we'll help with the logistics.
GT Community Service Co-Chairs
Pam Feinstein (feinstep@gmail.com / 301-332-7859
Harriet Shugerman (hshugerman08@gmail.com / 301-229-4088
What is a liaison? Click here to find out.
Liaisons Are Needed for:
Career Catchers
George B. Thomas Saturday School
Urban Alliance
Please contact Pam Feinstein (feinstep@gmail.com) or Harriet Shugerman (hshugerman08@gmail.com) if interested.
awidercircle.org
The mission of A Wider Circle is simple: to help one individual and one family after another rise out of poverty. A Wider Circle works in partnership with those they serve and with those seeking to help to ensure that every child and adult has the chance to succeed and the opportunity to live well. A Wider Circle is based in Silver Spring and serves the entire DC Area. ​
Donate Items - professional clothing, kitchen supplies, linen, furniture.
Donate $25 grocery gift cards - Giant or Safeway
Create Care Packages - oral care kits and essential household items.
Deliver supplies to families in southeast Washington DC
Pick up Donations to Sort Remotely
Volunteer in Person to Sort Donated Items - at the Silver Spring Center
Mentoring or Coaching - via Zoom
Host a Drive for:
Coats and Winter Accessories - gently used, all sizes and ages.
Essential Items - laundry detergent, dish soap, toilet paper, and more.
Holidays:
For Thanksgiving: donate food supplies - Thanksgiving wishlist or deliver food bags (Nov. 22-23)
December holiday - drop off new, unwrapped toys or other gifts, or check out AWC's Amazon wish-list to ship directly to AWC. Or get matched with a family and provide their wishlist.
General questions about volunteering: please email volunteer@awidercircle.org.
GT Co-Liaisons:
Kim Schifrin (kdschifrin@gmail.com) or (301)520-6228
Wendy Yaross (wyaross@gmail.com) or (301)351-2613
[updated 11/12/21]
Aspire Counseling
www.we-aspire.org
Aspire Counseling is a mental health nonprofit based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, providing mental health and wellness services to Montgomery County's diverse residents. Giving Together funded Aspire's Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Program, which provides in-home therapy to low-income, uninsured and underinsured pregnant women and new mothers.
Update during coronavirus outbreak
They are most in need of the following items:
General hygiene items. COVID "survival kit" including:
Body wash or shower scrub
Travel size q-tips
Menstrual pads (no tampons)
Clothing for infants, toddlers, early childhood
Christmas/holiday gifts
Gift cards for grocery stores (Giant, Safeway, etc.)
Gift cards for Target, Walmart, CVS, will be greatly appreciated
Volunteer opportunities include helping with annual springtime projects such as a Mother's Day Spa for their "Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies" clients, and their Market for Moms.
Interested in helping out? Contact GT Liaison Nancy Ebb (ebbford@verizon.net) 301-538-1624
[updated 1/10/22]
www.careercatchers.org
CareerCatchers, based in Montgomery County (offices in Silver Spring and Rockville), works to promote career stability and self-sufficiency for every client through individualized counseling, training, and support. Since 2007, CareerCatchers has provided one-on-one sustained guidance for some 2,500+ low-income and otherwise disadvantaged local residents. Services are provided through the efforts of staff, board of directors, volunteers, and partners.
Career Catchers is looking for volunteers for the following:
Volunteer basic tutoring one-on-one.
A bilingual Spanish – English speaker to assist the client with ESL
GED Math & English Exam
Writing Skills ( Proofreading)
Qualifications: Volunteers will use the zoom or other meeting platforms. Sessions are held remotely. Volunteers are required to meet twice a week. The months spent tutoring are based on the client's needs.
College Biology
Specialty Exams tutoring one-on-one:
TEAS (Math, Science, Reading, English Language)
Pharmacy Technician Certification Board Exam
RN- NCLEX EXAM
Qualification: One-on-One training to assist aspiring nurses to prepare for the TEAS (Test Essential Academic Skills) test. R.N or Nursing degree. Teaching experience would be a plus. The volunteer will meet clients via zoom or other meeting platforms. The duration of time tutoring is between 4 to 5 months. As well as the client's needs. Tutoring and prep time 3 to 5 hours a week.
Teaching Computer Training Classes
MS Word, Excel, Outlook—basic and intermediate levels
Other topics to help gain introductory skills
Qualification: Strong computer skills. Volunteers can use our teaching material or welcome to provide their own material as well as handouts to the attendees. Comfortable with zoom. Training classes are held once a week, an hour per session, a total duration of four or five weeks. Attendees in the class range between 5 to 15 attendees.
CareerCatchers holds Empowerment Club on Tuesdays from 3 pm to 4 pm and Job Club on Wednesdays from 11 am to 1 pm. Volunteers co-facilitate with the CareerCatchers staff. Volunteer will work one-on-one with Staff to create material for the workshops. These are some topics that have been covered in the past. Volunteers are welcome to suggest the topics for future workshops.
Empowerment Workshop. Some examples of topics include (please feel free to suggest others):
Setting and Maintaining Boundaries
Other topics assisting Empowerment
Job Club. Some Examples of topics include (please feel free to suggest others):
The Emotional Rollercoaster of the Job Search
Job Search Strategie
Volunteer requirements: basic Web understanding, good communications skills, a mountain of patience, and a willingness to help.
If you are interested in helping from a distance, please contact Emma@careercatchers.org
If you'd like to receive Career Catchers Email Blast/Newsletter please send an email to reply@careercatchers.org to request to be added to their list.
Interested in helping out? Contact GT Liaison Pam Feinstein (feinstep@gmail.com)
wearecasa.org
Casa works to create a just society by building power and improving the quality of life in working class and immigrant communities. They work to organize, advocate for, and expand opportunities for Latino and the immigrant population in the state of Maryland.
CASA is launching a contact-less food distribution program out of CASA's Silver Spring Center so that they can provide groceries for people in need in both Montgomery County and Prince Georges County. They need support.
To help click on the highlighted link -
Can you be a driver for CASA's new food delivery program and deliver weekly groceries to 5 to 10 families?
Via ZOOM: Teach Citizenship classes, help prepare for the Citizenship test, and help fill out applications. Also needed: tutors for ESOL programs, help filling out job applications. If you can speak Spanish that's a plus.
You can also help by donating to the CASA Solidarity Fund
Many of the people you will be helping are immigrant families facing extreme hardships.
Volunteer opportunities include helping in the ESOL Department with administrative tasks in the office and reminder phone calls to potential students. Volunteers for the reminder phone calls need to be bilingual. Casa also needs one or two volunteers in their legal department helping with administrative tasks. Casa also seeks potential volunteers for tutoring high school students after school at 3:00 p.m.
Citizenship Clinics: Casa's team of 13 AmeriCorps members, together with dozens of community volunteers helps more than 1,000 people on the path to U.S. citizenship every year through this program. In addition to regular business hours, Casa provides weekend services at our monthly Citizenship Clinics. Casa counts on volunteers like us to help manage the flow of 40-60 applicants or more. They have offices in Hyattsville, Rockville and Baltimore that host events routinely. Other clinics are held occasionally in Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland. Their clinics are generally held on Saturdays, beginning at 9:30 a.m., with a mandatory 8:30 a.m. training session for new volunteers. Please expect to be at the clinic until about 3:00 p.m.
Interested in volunteering? Please refer to CASA's website or contact GT Liaison Leah Steinberg (leahgsteinberg@gmail.com).
Computer C.O.R.E.
computercore.org
Computer C.O.R.E. is a 501 c(3) nonprofit, community-based organization located in northern Virginia whose mission is to help low-income adults acquire the technological and life skills they need to pursue their career aspirations. CORE is about jobs and self-sufficiency for their clients and their families. Six-month workforce development training programs at six sites are offered throughout northern Virginia: Alexandria, Falls Church, western Fairfax, Herndon, Reston and down the Route 1 corridor in Fairfax County.
Computer C.O.R.E. also offers on-site shorter six-week training programs to clients at Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing, Volunteers of America Chesapeake RTC (transitional shelter), Together We Bake (serving female ex-offenders), and Dar Al-Hijrah Mosque (serving women).
Computer CORE is recruiting virtual volunteers to teach online classes in Google G-Suite, Office 365, Word and Excel, Virtual Interviewing, Career Development and other subjects. Please indicate your interest here and they will get back to you to discuss your interest and our openings.
Want to help? They have a particular need for:
Gently used laptops, including Chromebooks - this is their greatest need. (They will refurbish and wipe clean. If you know any businesses that are replacing old units, kindly reach out.)
On-line/Distance Learning Instructors (i.e. teaching a Zoom class on MS Word or Excel)
Lead Computer Instructors (Microsoft Office)
On-line Tutors via ZOOM: Help clients learn various computer and office skills
1) Please continue to make individual donations at this difficult time, so that they are ready to bounce back and deliver classes as soon as they reopen.
2) Reach out to any business you know that can donate computers in quantity. Computer CORE is a qualified refurbisher of donated computers. They will ensure donated machines are wiped clean and are loaded with Windows 10 and Microsoft Office Suite. They are seeking laptops in good working order with 8GB hard drives or better, power cords, and which can run Windows 10.
3) Donate Chromebooks or other web-only devices - they have curriculum for cloud-based solutions.
They also have an ongoing need for used computers (desktops or laptops, which they refurbish and give to their students to keep), binders, and flash drives. They welcome help with organizing computer equipment.
Questions? Check out the Volunteer Opportunities page, or contact GT Liaison Lynn O'Connell (lynnoconnell.va@gmail.com).
Crossroads Community Food Network
crossroadscommunityfoodnetwork.org
CCFN is dedicated to promoting food access, food entrepreneurship, and healthy food choices in Maryland's Takoma/Langley Crossroads, a vibrant immigrant community with disproportionate rates of poverty and food insecurity.
Key programs are:
Fresh Checks nutrition incentive program, which matches SNAP benefits dollar for dollar
Healthy Eating Program, which lays the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating for students and families
Microenterprise training for Low-income food entrepreneurs who are shifting focus and resources to stay in business
Takoma Park-Silver Spring Community Kitchen, which GT helped furnish.
Wishlist during coronavirus outbreak:
It's been a time of tremendous challenge, especially so for our neighbors in the Takoma/Langley Crossroads. They need help to mitigate the disastrous impacts that COVID-19 is having on our neighbors' lives with support in three key ways:
Too many neighbors are struggling to put food on the table because of the pandemic. SNAP usage at Crossroads Farmers Market increased 154% this season. We can help by supporting their Fresh Checks nutrition incentive program, which matches SNAP dollar-for-dollar so people can buy twice as much fresh fruits and vegetables at Crossroads Farmers Market:
--$40 provides 2 families with a week's worth of Fresh Checks
--$80 provides 1 family with a month's worth of Fresh Checks
Or support low-income food entrepreneurs who are shifting focus and resources to stay in business during the pandemic. It's a time of profound uncertainty, but also opportunity. Food businesses that can successfully adapt can also thrive:
--$75 supports 15 hours of community kitchen use for a food entrepreneur
--$120 supports 1:1 technical assistance (e.g., developing new products or online ordering systems) to help a food business pivot
Or support their Healthy Eating Program, which lays the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating for students and families:
--$150 covers the cost of supplies for 3 socially distanced workdays for families at school and community gardens
--$225 covers the cost of plants, seedlings, and seed kits for windowsill gardens distributed to families at Crossroads Farmers Market
They have implemented a new fresh produce delivery program to get healthy food to senior shoppers who are staying away from the market due to COVID-19. Each week, they deliver to two low-income senior apartment buildings. 85 people receive weekly deliveries of fresh fruits and vegetables.
ONSITE OUTDOOR OPPORTUNITIES
- April through November in Takoma Park: Box up food that others will deliver to Senior Facilities on Wed Mornings 9:30-10:30 am - outdoors in tents
- Wednesdays through November 24, varying hours: In-person, outdoor help with tasks including Fresh Checks distribution, setting up and taking down signs and tables, etc.
More ways to support CCFN:
Patronize the Farmers Market in Takoma Park on Wednesdays between 10:30 am and 2:30 pm through November 24 (Anne Street between University Blvd. & Hammond Avenue).
Help community kitchen applicants with obtaining food management licenses, making business plans, or otherwise mentoring their start-up food businesses.
For more information, go to their website for quarterly updates
To Share, Volunteer or Donate, click HERE
For more information, contact Liaison GT Liaison (temporary) Pam Feinstein (feinstep@gmail.com).
DC Volunteer Lawyers Project
www.dcvlp.org
The DC Volunteer Lawyers Project was founded in 2008 to create, support and utilize a network of volunteer lawyers to provide high-quality, pro bono legal services to domestic violence victims and at-risk children in DC. Today, volunteers help victims obtain civil protection orders against their abusers as well as child custody and financial support. With the District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH) and My Sister's Place, DCVLP sponsors a weekly Domestic Violence Resource Clinic where victims easily access legal advice, housing assistance and counseling in a community-based location. Their court-appointed volunteer lawyers also represent the best interests of children who are living with abuse, neglect, domestic violence, parental substance abuse and mental illness. To help ensure that each client has the tools necessary to start a new life, their Clients Advocate provides crisis intervention, safety planning and access to comprehensive social services.
Domestic violence victims and at-risk children are facing new challenges during this crisis — increased financial stress, social distancing from support networks, quarantine with an abuser, and restless children stuck inside a home that may not be safe.
Please consider making an important donation to ensure clients may continue to get the support they need during this unprecedented time. Click here to make your tax-deductible donation today. They need your support now more than ever.
Items needed for the Teens At‐Risk: Growing, Engaging & Thriving (TARGET) program:
Distance learning items:
Gently used iPads/tablets
Lap desks, actual desks
Noise blocking earphones
Graphing calculators
Non perishable grocery items
There are opportunities for individual lawyers to volunteer in the areas of Civil Protection Orders, Family Law (Custody & Divorce), ad Child Advocacy (Guardians ad litem). DCVLP provides training, guidance and support to volunteer lawyers.
Interested in helping out? Fill out their volunteer registration form, or contact GT Liaison Christine Kessides (ckessides@gmail.com)
Food for Others
foodforothers.org
The mission of Food for Others is to distribute free food to our neighbors in need, in partnership with their Northern Virginia community, and to provide opportunities for people to volunteer their resources. Food for Others is the largest provider of free groceries directly to people in need in our area, operating as a safety net for those needing food in an emergency, and for the growing number of working poor struggling to make ends meet.
Food for Others remains committed to serving our neighbors in need. In one week recently, they served 811 households at the warehouse and Annandale pop-up site, distributing over 51,000 lbs of food. (For comparison, before the pandemic, in one week they served 282 families at the warehouse.) Power Pack volunteers have been delivering packs to eight partner schools where children are able to receive meals from Fairfax County Public Schools.
Their biggest needs are:
Contribute to their Stuff the Bus campaign to collect food for their numerous programs.
Help organize snack packs for students and/or deliver to distribution sites - must wear masks and maintain social distancing
Canned meats (particularly chicken), canned chili, rice, pasta, pasta sauce, canned fruit, produce
Medium sized boxes (banker sized, printer paper sized)
If you're a Fairfax County resident, write/email/phone your Supervisor and Jeff McKay to advocate for the increased funding for Human Services to remain in next year's budget.
Start a vegetable and/or herb garden and donate some of the produce to Food for Others.
Tell people who need food about Food for Others
Financial support is also always appreciated.
The food insecurity rate in Fairfax County is 5.3% with nearly 60,000 people facing uncertain access to enough food to support a healthy life. Nationally, 1 in 8 people struggle with hunger while 376,000 live in poverty in Northern Virginia. 1 in 17 Fairfax County residents live in poverty, including 1 in 14 children. Lacking an adequate income, families are often forced to choose between spending money for food, or on other basic needs such as housing, utilities, health care, and transportation. Food for Others is dedicated to fighting hunger and food insecurity in our community through four key program areas:
Emergency Food operations at their warehouse provide 3-5 days' worth of non-perishables as well as milk, eggs and other fresh food to individuals and families referred to Food for Others by Fairfax County CSP and various social service providers.
Clients who qualify based on income eligibility may also receive monthly food supplements via the USDA Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). Neighborhood Site distributions provide food to individuals and families via volunteers who pick up food at their warehouse and deliver groceries to low-income neighborhoods. This occurs every evening, Monday through Friday, serving 17 sites in Fairfax County.
The Community Partners program provides bulk food items to 14 community partners on a regular basis. This includes faith-based organizations, homeless shelters and other groups serving at-risk residents facing food insecurity in Northern Virginia.
The Power Pack Program (P3) provides weekend backpack food to Fairfax County public elementary school students identified by school social workers and teachers as in need of supplemental food. Food for Others received the 2017 FCPS Community Partner of the Year Award in recognition of this effort. www.foodforothers.org/p3/
They welcome help with conducting a food drive, assembling power packs, helping in the warehouse stocking shelves, bagging food for distribution, etc.
Interested in volunteering? Visit their website, Facebook, or Twitter pages, or contact GT Liaison Lynn O'Connell (lynnoconnell.va@gmail.com) for more details.
www.saturdayschool.org
Saturday School provides affordable academic support and tutoring for students Grades K-12 in Montgomery County, Maryland. Extra help is offered to help children stay on track with their schoolwork. Specialized programs and SAT/ACT preparation are also available to help accelerate and encourage learning for all students.
Most needed are:
Grocery gift cards in any amount - trying to give families $50-100.
Chrome books (gently used) for students. At least one is needed at each of five schools they serve. Raising funds to purchase new Chrome Books, and/or used Chromebooks in good working condition.
Volunteers are needed to help support staff and teachers in a variety of tasks or in mentoring students in specific subjects.
To Volunteer: Check out their Volunteer Opportunities page or contact GT Liaison Pam Feinstein (feinstep@gmail.com).
Healthy Babies Project
healthybabiesproject.org
Healthy Babies Project, Inc. (HBP), a 2017 Giving Together Grant recipient, is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and connects the poorest, pregnant D.C. teenagers to health care, social services, and educational opportunities. More than half the young mothers and babies served by HBP are homeless or transient. HBP operates two transitional homes to ensure these young people have a safe, clean place to work towards economic independence and stability, often up to five years, so they can break out of generational poverty. You can help!
Items welcomed at HBP's two transitional homes:
Cleaning supplies, paper goods, antiseptic wipes and sprays
Twin sheets and comforters for twin beds and cribs; towels, wash cloths
Non-perishable food items
Fresh packages of underwear, nightclothes, mittens, gloves (all sizes)
Winter clothing for infants, toddlers, and young children
Basic baby care items
Board books (English and/or Spanish) and toys for young children
Grocery gift cards for emergency food and medicine supplies
Metro cards
Volunteer opportunities at HBP
Facilitate a group workshop for youth in your area of expertise, such as emotional self-regulation, personal finance, relaxation, networking, professional appearance
Sponsor a dinner for HBP's weekly teen parenting workshops
Provide Thanksgiving baskets for HBP families
Sponsor an HBP family with gifts during the holiday season
Fill welcome baskets for new residents with soap, lotion, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, and other personal items
Provide tutoring in any subject
Learn more about HBP in this Washington Post article (published 1/1/2019) and when you visit www.healthybabiesproject.org.
Want to get involved? Email Jazmine Brazier at jbrazier@healthybabiesproject.org for specific opportunities, or contact GT Liaison Heather Kaye (Heather4604@gmail.com).
[updated 3/9/22]
Identity, Inc.
identity-youth.org
Identity creates opportunities for Latino and other historically underserved youth to realize their highest potential and work towards a successful transition into adulthood. Each year, they assist more than 3,000 in-school and out-of-school youth and their families who live in high-poverty areas of Montgomery County and who are most at-risk for poor academic and economic life outcomes.
Identity is currently building long-term capacity as a trauma-informed organization to address trauma-related needs among immigrants and refugee women and girls.
Backpacks and school supplies
They need help restocking their stash of shelf-stable individually wrapped healthy snacks. The snacks will be dropped off with program supply packets to the homes of clients as long as in-person programming is curtailed.
In-person opportunities to volunteer are on hold due to Covid-19 safety concerns. When it is safe, they may need volunteers to help in picking up food at one of the Hubs and dropping it off for community food distributions where students and parent promotoras are assisting in hard-hit neighborhoods of Gaithersburg. Looking ahead to a more normal time, they will welcome volunteers to help with group activities such as their annual Futsal tournament.
Want to get involved? Contact GT Liaison Christine Kessides (kessides@gmail.com)
iworksmc.org
Interfaith Works' Mission is to join forces with the communities of Montgomery County to serve our neighbors in need and advocate for an end to poverty. Their programs provide services to help neighbors lift themselves out of poverty. They provided assistance to Montgomery County families who lived in the apartment complex that was flooded during summer 2021 storms.
With all of the adversity this public health crisis has brought on, the needs are staggering.
DONATE: Clothes, personal care and small household items;
PROVIDE: Bagged lunches, meals or snacks for the women's center or older women residences. (approx 8-10 residents)
These are the items they need urgently to ensure the staff and those in their care remain safe and healthy:
Hand sanitizer, soap
Disinfectant spray, wipes, surface cleaners with bleach
Bath tissue, paper towels
Snack bars and water bottles
Interfaith Works is collecting $25 gift cards for their clients. They prefer cards from Target, Kohl's, Giant or Safeway. The idea is to afford dignity and normalcy to their clients by letting them choose the food or gift items they prefer for the holiday season.
Interfaith Works runs several programs:
Women's Center (Rockville) - provides emergency shelter, meals, vocational services and case management to more than 250 women annually.
Interfaith Homes - houses 31 chronically homeless, disabled men and women annually in permanent supportive housing in several locations in Montgomery County.
Housing Initiative Program - provides service coordination services to 66 formerly homeless individuals, including 30 families, who are now in permanent housing.
Becky's House (Rockville) and Priscilla's House (Gaithersburg) - provide permanent supportive housing in eight-bed homes for older women who previously have experienced homelessness.
Interfaith Works Residences (Silver Spring) - provides individual residential units to 21 men and women who have experienced homelessness, and services to support their successful transition to housing.
Interfaith Works Overflow - provides shelter for clients during extreme cold and hot weather.
Interfaith Works Empowerment Center (Silver Spring) - runs a day program that engages over 800 individuals experiencing homelessness annually with services, meals and shelter, including shelter in weather extremes.
There are numerous ways to volunteer, including by sorting and organizing donated clothes at the clothing center, hosting a drive for travel-size toiletries, providing bagged lunches, and donating items on their wish list.
Volunteers are needed to prepare and serve food to groups of 8-35 at their facilities; organize and lead activities with guests, such as bingo, board games, arts & crafts, knitting, afternoon tea, a "spa day." They also welcome help sorting and organizing donated clothes and household goods.
Update as of Nov 2021:
Interfaith Works is always looking for volunteers to help sort clothing and linens for their Clothing Center as well as volunteers to help distribute food at their Food Hub.
Volunteer shifts have been added to the sign-up roster for the winter holiday season. And now they have shorter -- 2 hour -- shifts so you can more easily fit some volunteer time in your schedule.
The sign-up link can be found here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040f4faaa923a64-interfaith3
Any questions? Contact GT Liaison Gail Dratch (gaildratch@gmail.com).
John H. Bayne
PG County Elementary School
John H. Bayne is a public school in Capitol Heights, Maryland serving approximately 500 students in grades Pre-K through Fifth Grade. Its mission is to provide a quality education to its students through a well-organized and structured academic program, with full participation and collaboration between the school, community, parents, teachers, students and administrators.
As a special 10th-anniversary project in 2019, Giving Together partnered with the John H. Bayne community and KaBOOM! to build a state-of-the-art multi-sport play space for students that includes basketball hoops, nets for volleyball and futsal, four square, hopscotch, large scale maps of the US and the world, and an outdoor musical instrument center.
They are requesting help with:
Grocery Gift Cards
Enrichment opportunities for students, including mentors, chess clubs, opportunities for exposure to cultural and other resources
Parent university, to help instruct parents and caregivers on how to use school-related technology and to provide emotional/social support
Want to volunteer? Please contact GT Liaison Renee Licht (renee.licht@gmail.com)​
Mercy Health Clinic
http://mercyhealthclinic.org/
Mercy Health Clinic, an organization of largely volunteer doctors and nurses, that provides free health care to needy adults in Montgomery County. Our funding will enable Mercy to permanently expand their medical and counseling services to adolescents age 13-17 from low income and immigrant households and add more specialized services for clients age 18-22, vulnerable groups that currently lack access to most health care systems in the County.
The Clinic, with more than 150 dedicated volunteers, is committed to continually seek ways to improve and expand the quality primary medical care, educational support and pharmaceuticals it provides free of charge to people who might otherwise not receive health care.
Currently in need of the following:
Medical professionals willing to donate time
Volunteers with administrative skills
Anti-pyretics, such as Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen - bottles of any size
Over the counter creams, such as 1% Hydrocortisone or Clotrimazole
Want to get involved? Please contact GT Liaison Marea Hatziolos (marea.hatziolos@gmail.com)​
My Sister's Place
https://mysistersplacedc.org
My Sister's Place, in Washington, DC, serves families fleeing domestic violence by providing emergency shelter, transitional-to-permanent housing, and a wide range of supportive services.
Volunteers are needed to:
Load or unload moving vans and help families move into housing on Saturday mornings between 9:00 am- 12 noon.
Drop off items to families lacking transportation.
Staff the front desk at MSP to respond to donation inquiries.
Interested in helping out? Please check their website under VOLUNTEER to see monthly volunteer opportunities. Click this link to sign up and volunteer, or contact GT Liaison Susan Alberts (susanalberts@gmail.com) or Angela Cavanaugh (acavanaugh@mysistersplacedc.org)
Nourish Now
nourishnow.org
Nourish Now's mission is to solve two major social issues: food waste and hunger. Fresh food is recovered from area restaurants, caterers, bakeries, grocers, farms and other food donor partners throughout the Montgomery County and DC metropolitan area. Food is then distributed directly to families in need, and to partner organizations to help support their food distribution efforts.
PANDEMIC UPDATE:
Nourish Now has significantly expanded food distribution directly to families, seniors and emergency homeless shelters in dire need during the COVID-19 crisis. At present, Nourish Now feeds nearly 7,000 Montgomery County residents weekly through its Multi-Cultural Mobile Food Assistance Program, a 7-fold increase compared to its normal deliveries prior to the crisis. At the same time, food recovered from restaurants, caterers and others has decreased and they continue to need more revenue and food donations to expand their outreach.
CURRENT TOP NEEDS:
ONSITE FOOD SORT (Rockville): help sort and organize groceries – must follow guidelines - wear masks and maintain social distance
VOLUNTEER: Nourish Now needs volunteers on Tuesday-Friday from around 12 noon-3:00 at their food distribution sites, and two Saturdays per month from 10 am-1:00 at their Rockville warehouse. Volunteers will help NN staff sort food, unload food from trucks and distribute it into family cars, as well as help staff keep track of how many families NN is feeding. If you'd like to help, email volunteer@nourishnow.org.
CANNED FOOD DRIVE: Please consider hosting a long shelf life food drive for Nourish Now. Among the recommended food items to donate are canned vegetables/fruit, canned tuna/chicken, bread, peanut butter, jelly and jam, granola bars, shelf stable milk, canned beans, dried beans, rice, pasta. If you are interested in hosting a canned food drive, please contact volunteer@nourishnow.org. Nourish Now also will accept gift cards to purchase these items.
Location: 397 E. Gude Drive, Rockville 20850
Want to help out? Visit Nourish Now's website, or contact GT Liaison Susan Alberts (susanalberts@gmail.com)
The Safe Sisters Circle
safesisterscircle.org
The Safe Sisters Circle provides free, culturally specific, and trauma-informed services to Black women survivors of domestic violence and/or sexual assault who live in DC's Wards 7 and 8. TSSC lawyers provide direct representation of survivors in Civil Protection Order hearings and family law cases such as custody, divorce, and child support. It was the need for Black women in circumstances of domestic violence and/or sexual assault to have attorneys who have shared lived experience, that looked like them, and with whom they could have a deep trusting relationship that led Alana Brown to create The Safe Sisters Circle in 2018. TSSC served 80 clients in 2020, its first year with paid staff. TSSC received a Giving Together Accelerator Grant in 2021.
For ways to get involved, contact GT Liaison Amy Peck Abraham (amypeckabraham@att.net)
Sasha Bruce
sashabruce.org
Sasha Bruce is on a mission to end youth homelessness! We provide safe homes, life skills, workforce development, and prevention services to more than 10,000 young people and their families each year.
Sasha Bruce's emergency housing programs and drop-in centers have remained open throughout the pandemic, providing survival services and housing with supportive services for homeless youth. The pandemic continues to disproportionally impact our city's most vulnerable residents, and we need your support.
Here is how you can help:
Help a young person move into their first home
We constantly need supplies for our housing programs as young people arrive with little or nothing. Visit our Amazon Wish List for the most up-to-date needs.
Sponsor a Birthday or Supper
Many of our programs host monthly birthday celebrations or suppers to bring young people together for a family-style meal. We are looking for volunteers to sponsor these celebrations by baking or buying a cake, cupcakes, or delivering a home-cooked meal for the youth to enjoy! Contact info@sashabruce.org if you're interested.
Volunteering at Sasha Bruce provides groups and individuals the opportunity to have a powerful and positive impact on the lives of young people and families in DC and Prince George's County, MD. Both one-time experiences and ongoing positions are available. Visit www.sashabruce.org/volunteer for the most up-to-date opportunities.
Want to get involved? Contact GT Liaison Paula Norwood (PN1153@gmail.com)
ScholarCHIPS
scholarchipsfund.org
ScholarCHIPS is a DC-area non-profit that provides college scholarships, mentoring and a peer support network to children of incarcerated parents, inspiring them to complete their college education. Their goal is to empower youth with incarcerated parents to graduate college, establish upwardly mobile careers, and contribute to their communities.
In addition to one-on-one mentoring, college life skills/professional development workshops, exposure to arts and culture, and community service opportunities, ScholarCHIPS provides renewable $2500 scholarships and $500 book awards to help ensure scholars graduate from college.
ScholarCHIPS targets high school seniors from Washington DC, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Fairfax County, Arlington County, City of Alexandria, and the City of Falls Church. Many recipients are the first in their family to attend or complete college. There is a strong emphasis on demonstrating a commitment to the community.
ScholarCHIPS has served 76 scholars since its inception. Scholars have attended a wide variety of colleges and universities, earning Bachelor's Degrees from the University of Maryland, George Mason, Frostburg, Towson, Dartmouth, Elon, Pennsylvania State, Bucknell, and more. The ScholarCHIPS awardees and graduates are pictured at www.scholarchipsfund.org/our-scholars. Several scholars have continued on to law school or graduate school.
Having been selected as a 2019 Fair Chance partner, ScholarCHIPS was recognized as "one of the best" local nonprofits in 2019-20 by The Catalogue for Philanthropy for excellence, cost-effectiveness, and impact.
A new mental health support program is being launched for ScholarCHIPS scholars on topics including Grief, Resilience, Having an Incarcerated Parent, Navigating College, and Mental Health.
For ways to get involved, contact GT Liaison Harriet Shugerman (hshugerman08@gmail.com)
[updated October 2021]
urbanalliance.org
Urban Alliance serves high school youth from under-resourced communities who are at risk of disconnecting from pathways to economic self-sufficiency and lack the skills, experience, and networks needed for success. Urban Alliance provides professional or "soft" skills training, access and exposure to direct work experience, and meaningful adult relationships to help young people connect to pathways leading to self-sufficiency. 80% of the interns contribute to household expenses.
Giving Together's summer 2021 School Supplies Collection contributed 22 backpacks to be distributed to PG County schools.
Urban Alliance students rely on their paychecks coming regularly. They have launched a Student Support Fund to help Urban Alliance youth navigate the new reality of pandemic living.
91% of the interns qualify for free or reduced-priced meals. School shutdowns in 2020/2021 resulted in fewer meals for many.
Some Urban Alliance alumni lost their on-campus jobs and housing when colleges and universities were forced to close their doors in 2020/2021.
Most interns come from low-income communities, those hardest-hit by the spread of COVID-19.
One of GT's most popular annual community service activities takes place during the summer, when we volunteer as judges for a culminating "Urban Alliance Public Speaking Challenge" for 150 high school interns. These students from Washington DC, Montgomery County and Prince George's County make presentations to showcase the skills that they have gained during their internships.
In addition, volunteers are invited to help with their spring Career Day, Networking Day, and Mock Interviews.
Become a Job Partner - Hosting a high school intern allows you to observe how much potential a young person has while concurrently developing their skills. You can evaluate skills and work ethic while helping to build company loyalty for your future employees. The program allows you to invest in a young person, your community, and your business all at once. For more information contact premy@theurbanalliance.org.
For other ways to get involved, contact GT Liaison (temporary) Harriet Shugerman (hshugerman08@gmail.com)
wearefamilydc.org
Grounded in grassroots senior leadership, We Are Family mobilizes a committed corps of volunteers to reach out to isolated inner-city seniors with free services, advocacy, and companionship, building a network of caring eyes and ears that enables at-risk seniors to age in place. More than simply a social service provider, We Are Family is a bold experiment in building a caring, just and inclusive community.
Their ongoing services currently include:
Free monthly grocery delivery
Shopping and delivery assistance
Regular telephone reassurance - make calls from home to seniors who are isolated during this time.
Referrals to other agencies or services
We Are Family provides organizing and leadership training assistance, bringing seniors to participate in community meetings, protests, and city council hearings.
Their model is grounded in the power of volunteers – especially their senior leaders – in their work. They rely on volunteers to provide services, advocacy and beyond. They also purposefully draw on a diverse range of such workers to achieve their deeper aim of building a caring, just, and inclusive community, to help them get to know one another past boundaries like race, class, religion, sexual orientation and language.
Volunteer opportunities (in North Capitol, Shaw, Columbia Heights) include Saturday morning grocery deliveries and shopping and delivery assistance throughout the month. Help is welcome anytime with these activities. You can sign up to help out with the Saturday morning grocery deliveries here: www.wearefamilydc.org/events. To inquire about providing shopping assistance for our seniors, email Tulin at tulino@wearefamilydc.org.
Interested in volunteering? Please visit the website or contact GT Liaison Harriet Shugerman (hshugerman08@gmail.com)
Young Doctors DC
https://www.youngdoctorsdc.org
Young Doctors DC (YDDC) is a ​multi-generational mentoring, education, and pipeline to health careers​ program for high school boys in Southeast Washington, DC. Through intensive summer programs and Saturday academies at Howard University, YDDC participants are trained in preventive medicine, mental health, and health issues in underserved communities.
Selected youth join YDDC during their freshmen year of high school and remain in the program until graduation. After one year of training in the summer program and Saturday academies, the "young doctors" begin the service learning component of the program, which includes conducting free health clinics in their community under the supervision of YDDC staff doctors.
With the support of Howard University's Department of Psychology and College of Medicine, the Young Doctors are equipped to address Washington, DC's health disparities head-on.
For ways to get involved, contact GT Liaison Nedra Weinstein (nedra@ardenconsults.com)