Tis the season to be giving and if you were thinking about doing some good this holiday season, then we know where you should start! Here are a few awesome organizations creating change in Detroit and they are always looking for support. Let Yelp lead the way and let the giving begin!
What They Do:
With a “Shark Tank” like approach, Detroit Soup works with local projects that deal with housing, art, education, urban agriculture and more to help them get funding for their initiatives by hosting community potluck dinners. These dinners serve as a platform for ideas to be pitched to attendees/donors, that listen to each presentation, ask questions and vote on which project sounds the best.
What YOU Can Do:
You can attend a Detroit Soup dinner and vote for an idea. Donations also help Detroit Soup continue to showcase and help out fresh and new ideas to help our city thrive. Check out all the different ways to get involved at detroitsoup.com.
What They Do:
The Empowerment Plan works in many ways to help our homeless community and others in need, by creating coats that can transform into sleeping bags. In addition to making a super durable coat for the homeless, especially during these cold months, TEP only hires seamstresses from local shelters in order to provide them with training/full-time employment, housing, and even educational opportunities too.
What YOU Can Do:
You can make a personal donation, or donate to a specific area of need like “materials needed to make a coat” or even for a “seamstress toolbox”. Check out all the different ways to get involved at empowermentplan.org,
What They Do:
Arts and Scraps works with children and their imaginations to create fun works of art. But this isn’t your everyday art class! By recycling over 20 tons of industrial scraps into creative materials, A&S are able to serve thousands of children with unique materials for artistic and educational endeavors.
What YOU Can Do:
You can donate, volunteer to lead a class, help in the office, or bring “scraps” of your own! Check out all the different ways to get involved at artsandscraps.org.
What They Do:
Detroit Dog Rescue is a no-kill organization that focuses on rehabilitating abused dogs, fostering, and finding them their very own forever home. Their main goal, besides getting their shelter up and running, is staying connected with the community by educating with outreach programs, hosting clinics, as well as hosting a variety of adoption events and fundraisers to help achieve their mission.
What YOU Can Do:
You can donate, drop off supplies and volunteer by yourself or with others too. Check out all the different ways to get involved at detroitdogrescue.com.
What They Do:
Vista Maria works to “deliver innovative care, support, treatment, and education to vulnerable youth so that they heal, believe in their worth, and build the skills needed to succeed.” Programs include an intensive residential treatment program for girls, specialized foster care, youth assistance programs, a human trafficking educational campaign, and more.
What YOU Can Do:
There’s plenty to do at Vista Maria! From one-on-one mentoring and tutoring opportunities, holiday gift drives, group craft and game nights with the girls, and more. Short on time but have some money to give? Of course, donations are always welcome. Feeling really inspired? You can even sign up to be a foster parent through their programming. Check out all the different ways to get involved at vistamaria.org.
What They Do:
Submitted by Yelp Elite, Jody K, Yad Ezra is a non-profit Kosher food pantry in Berkley. Serving 1300 families in need on a monthly basis. In addition, we provide food for local Jewish schools’ lunch programs, and we give any non-kosher food that we cannot distribute to our clients to other area food pantries so they can give it to their clients. No food goes to waste.
What YOU Can Do:
Yad Ezra is a volunteer-driven organization so they’re always looking for help. Opportunities include assistance in the food pantry, client intake, deliveries, and more. Check out all the different ways to get involved at yadezra.org.
What They Do:
According to Yelp Elite Maha A, Zaman International “is a nonprofit organization which serves women and their children and refugee families who are less fortunate to provide them with food and clothing. They provide English literacy, financial literacy, sewing classes, a food pantry, and more for clients. They have also created the ‘Sips of Hope’ well campaign in which they provide clean water wells in small towns in Africa, as well as a Plots for Tots program in which they provide less fortunate families who have lost a baby the inner peace of providing them with a paid burial for their child. Throughout the year, Zaman also holds drives in which they provide winter jackets for the clients’ children as well as a back to school backpack drive. There are also plenty of holiday and seasonal drives that can use your help in continuing to provide families with necessities.”
What YOU Can Do:
From delivering food to families in need, working a winter coat drive for children, and more, there are plenty of opportunities for both regular volunteering and one-off experiences. They also gladly take monetary donations as well as donations of clothing and goods via any of their drop off locations around metro Detroit. Check out all the different ways to get involved at zamaninternational.org.
What They Do:
Forgotten Harvest’s mission is dedicated to relieving hunger in metro Detroit by collecting prepared and perishable food and donating it to emergency food providers. In the last year, Forgotten Harvest has rescued over 48.8 million pounds of food from a variety of sources such as grocery stores, restaurants, caterers, dairies, farmers, wholesale food distributors, and other Health Department-approved sources and delivering them, free of charge, to 260 emergency food providers in the metro Detroit area.
What YOU Can Do:
In addition to monetary donations, Forgotten Harvest survives on the help of volunteers. Volunteer opportunities include warehouse work, farm team, DIY fundraising and more. Check out all the different ways to get involved at forgottenharvest.org.
What They Do:
826michigan “inspires school-aged students to write confidently and skillfully with the help of adult volunteers in their communities.” Through drop-in tutoring, field trips, after-school workshops, in-schools tutoring, help for English language learners, and assistance with student publications, 826michigan empowers students in Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Ypsilanti public schools and helps them find their voices. Their storefronts in Detroit and Ann Arbor also help fund the organization by selling robot themed goodies as well as published works by the students in their programs.
What YOU Can Do:
826michigan is always on the lookout for tutors as well as volunteers to help run their storefronts and DIY types to help with bookbinding and more. Monetary donations also help keep their programs running. Check out all the different ways to get involved at 826michigan.org.
What They Do:
As “Oakland County’s only comprehensive program for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, Haven provides shelter, counseling, advocacy, and educational programming to nearly 20,000 people each year.” Programs include counseling, advocacy, educational programming and a 24-hour emergency shelter exclusively for domestic violence and sexual assault victims and their children.
What YOU Can Do:
Volunteer opportunities include mentoring, crisis and support line staffing, prevention educators, and more. Monetary donations are always welcome as well. Check out all the different ways to get involved at haven-oakland.org.
What They Do:
Mariners Inn “provides 24-hour residential substance abuse treatment for adult homeless men of Southeastern Michigan, in a professional, compassionate, therapeutic environment.” Services include residential rehabilitation, counseling, peer mentoring, youth prevention, and more.
What YOU Can Do:
Donations help support Mariners Inn programming while volunteer opportunities include food prep, working in their “Growing Dreams” garden, tutoring/mentoring, assisting in art therapy programs, etc. Check out all the different ways to get involved at marinersinn.org.
What They Do:
The Greening of Detroit focuses on making Detroit a much cleaner and greener place for us all to enjoy by planting trees and creating urban gardens from abandoned lots. They also help neighborhoods and groups organize community cleanups in parks and gardens.
What YOU Can Do:
You can donate, volunteer or organize your very own community cleanup. Check out all the different ways to get involved at greeningofdetroit.com.
What They Do:
Affirmations serves as a safe space for members of all sexual orientations, gender identities & expressions, and cultures to come together to form a community of support and acceptance. With discussion groups, events and health service, they strive to promote an open, honest, and happy society for everyone.
What YOU can do:
You can volunteer or take a peek at their holiday wishlist of items needed for their Youth Drop-In Center. Check out all the different ways to get involved at goaffirmations.org.
What They Do:
After recognizing the lack of healthy food options in the city, Keep Growing Detroit began its journey to promote fresh fruits and veggies, all locally grown for its community, by its community. They work with residents, schools, and a variety of civic organizations to educate residents into cultivating gardens and turning green thumb newbies into food entrepreneurs.
What YOU Can Do:
You can donate, volunteer to work in the gardens, and even drop off items from their wish list that include new and used gardening tools, office supplies, sunscreen and more. Check out all the different ways to get involved at detroitagriculture.net.
But this is just the start! There are tons of charities in the Metro-Detroit area worth supporting. Is this list missing your favorite organization? Then head on over to yelp.com and review your favorite non-profit org to give them some love!
Happy giving!
