Who doesn’t love to tear into a beautifully wrapped present? We do! But the holiday season is also about gratitude and giving — which can be easy to forget amid the festive hoopla. To make the giving easier for you, we rounded up some of our favorite local in-need organizations.
THE BOTTOMLESS TOY CHEST brings toys, joy and hope to pediatric cancer patients in Metro Detroit. This non-profit organization, based in Troy, is devoted to delivering empowering toys, craft projects and interactive activities to hospitalized children undergoing cancer treatment. Get involved by hosting a fundraiser, sponsoring a toy drive or donating specific items on their Wish List. Bottomlesstoychest.org.
MAKE FOOD NOT WASTE Each week, this non-profit organization takes in 1,000 pounds of surplus food from farms, grocers and restaurants. With the food that would otherwise end up in the landfill, the org creates delicious meals that they distribute for free to the community — to date, they have given out more than 85,000 free meals. To learn how to upcycle your food and learn about giving, visit makefoodnotwaste.com.
DOG AIDE’s goal is to keep dogs at home with their loving owners and out of the shelters. They assist dog owners who are struggling to care for their dogs due to financial hardship. Dog Aide provides families with dog food, supplies, daily care items and access to medical care. Last year alone, Dog Aide provided more than 150,000 meals to dogs across the community. Dogaide.com.
NF FORWARD DETROIT Neurofibromatosis, also known as NF, is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerve pathways anywhere in the body, affecting one in every 3,000 people throughout the world. NF Forward Detroit aims to eradicate NF by funding cutting-edge NF research and raising awareness about NF and invites support for this innovative vision. NFForwarddetroit.org.
HUMBLE DESIGN is helping the homeless, one design at a time. The org changes lives by designing and furnishing the homes of families and veterans who are emerging from homelessness in Michigan. Their home makeovers make a house a home and encourage long-term stability in hopes of ending the revolving door of homelessness. Since 2009, Humble Design has furnished over 2,500 homes. Humbledesign.org.
OAKLAND COUNTY FOSTER CLOSET provides clothing, toys and shoes to children in the local foster-care system. Children are often placed in foster care with no personal items, and in many cases, come into care with only the clothes on their backs. This non-profit organization helps reduce the financial strain a new placement can put on a foster family and provides personal items that these children can call their own. Their 100-percent volunteer-fueled organization helps hundreds of foster and at-risk families every year. OCfostercloset.org.