Peter and I are so blessed. We work hard, play hard, eat very well and spoil our dogs just a bit too much. So throughout the year, we make an effort to give back by either donating our time, money or by using social media to spread the word of our favorite charities.
If you’re looking for a non-profit to support, check out some of the links below. Whether it’s a few dollars via text, a “like” on FaceBook, or a “retweet” on Twitter… it’s much easier to reach out and lend a hand these days.
Heifer
Heifer International’s mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. By giving families a hand-up, not just a hand-out, they empower them to turn lives of hunger and poverty into self-reliance and hope.
With gifts of livestock and training, Heifer projects help families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways. They refer to the animals as “living loans” because in exchange for their livestock and training, families agree to give one of its animal’s offspring to another family in need. (read more) FaceBook Twitter
L.A. Food Bank
The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank mobilizes resources to fight hunger in our community.
Mission:
Source and acquire food and other products and distribute to needy people through charitable agencies or directly through programs;
Energize the community to get involved and support hunger relief;
Conduct hunger education and awareness campaigns and advocate for public policies that alleviate hunger. (read more) Los Angeles Area Agencies Serving Daily Meals FaceBook Twitter
Share Our Strength (No Kid Hungry)
Share Our Strength’s highest priority is to make sure that every child in America gets the nutritious food he or she needs to learn, grow and thrive. They are doing this by improving the access that families all across the country have to healthy, affordable food and by working at the state and city level. This “No Kid Hungry” strategy has four key components that, together, provide children with the nutritious food they need where they live, learn and play.
Taste of the Nation (Share our Strength) is one of my favorite fundraisers in L.A. Follow them for info on upcoming events> @TOTNLA on Twitter
Easy Text Donation: Wireless phone users can donate $10 to Share Our Strength by simply texting the word “SHARE” to 20222 on their mobile device. Donations from the text program will help provide food for the nearly 17 million children at risk of hunger in America and will help address the recent increase in demand for food aid across the nation. (read more) FaceBook Twitter
Kiva
Kiva is a a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world.
This past year, Peter and I helped give micro-loans to folks in Vietnam (for a food stall), Peru (catering business), Mongolia (small grocery store), Kenya (food market) and Lebanon (bakery). Note: Loans from last year were repaid in full, which allowed us to make loans to others in need.
100% of every dollar lent on Kiva goes directly towards funding loans; Kiva does not take a cut. (read more) FaceBook Twitter
Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves
Exposure to smoke from traditional cookstoves and open fires—the primary means of cooking and heating for nearly three billion people in the developing world—causes 1.9 million premature deaths annually, with women and young children the most affected. Cookstove smoke contributes to a range of chronic illnesses and acute health impacts such as early childhood pneumonia, emphysema, cataracts, lung cancer, bronchitis, cardiovascular disease, and low birth weight. The World Health Organization estimates harmful cookstove smoke to be one of the top five threats to public health in poor, developing countries.
The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is a new public-private partnership to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women, and combat climate change by creating a thriving global market for clean and efficient household cooking solutions. (read more) FaceBook Twitter
Alexandria House
Founded in 1996, Alexandria House is a non-profit transitional residence and house of hospitality providing safe and supportive housing for women and children in the process of moving from emergency shelter to permanent housing. Located in the densely populated and ethnically diverse Mid-Wilshire area, Alexandria House also serves its broader neighborhood community by providing educational and enrichment opportunities for residents and neighbors alike. FaceBook
Pet Orphans
As the oldest and largest private humane organization in Southern California with its own shelter, Pet Orphans has been rescuing, rehabilitating, and finding homes for these rescued animals for almost forty years. Pet Orphans of Southern California is dedicated to the advancement of companion animal welfare. They are committed to decreasing the number of animals euthanized annually in city and county shelters by focusing our efforts on rescue, adoption, medical, education, and training.
Each of our dogs (Maxwell, Martini & Harrison) were adopted from Pet Orphans. We wouldn’t be a family without them! FaceBook Twitter
School on Wheels is a Non-Profit Organization dedicated to the enhancement of educational opportunities for homeless children k-12th grade.
Today, hundreds of volunteers work one-on-one with children whose homelessness prevents them from getting the academic stability and help they desperately need. The heart of the School on Wheels’ programs is the volunteer tutors who come from all backgrounds and professions, with a shared goal – to reach out to a child, to teach, to mentor, and assist in their educational life. Twitter FaceBook
ABC 7 (Spark of Love Toy Drive)
For 19 years, ABC7 and firefighters from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties, along with the Los Angeles City Fire Department, have joined forces to run the Spark of Love Toy Drive. This campaign collects new, unwrapped toys and sports equipment for the underserved children in our communities. Toys collected in the respective counties are distributed locally. Last year alone, Spark of Love collected over 500,000 toys within all five counties. “Like” ABC7 and $1 will go to the Spark-of-Love toy drive! FaceBook Twitter
What it means to “like” on FaceBook
What it means to “retweet” on Twitter
Charity Charities
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Happy Holidays!
