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UPDATED: Local Giving Opportunities For Families

December 17, 2014
There are countless ways to give and volunteer in the Greater Cleveland area. Here are a few organizations that could use your help this holiday season. They all do amazing work! Want to list your organization? Send volunteer opportunities and/or a wish list to jennys@macaronikid.com.

Animal Protective League
Join Rocky River Public Library on December 13 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. for the APL Critter Christmas Party! Make a furry friend's holiday dreams come true. Drop off a gift from the Animal Protective Leagues's wish list. Stay to meet animals looking for forever homes and make a pet-friendly gift for your pet or donate to one in need. The wish list is available here.

Beech Brook

For 162 years, Beech Brook has been serving Northeast Ohio’s most vulnerable children. Today, as a leading behavioral health agency, Beech Brook serves more than 24,000 children, teens and families each year. For more information about Beech Brook, visit www.beechbrook.org. For holiday giving, check out the Children's Holiday Wish List here.

Bellfaire JCB
Each year Bellefaire JCB delivers smiles to over 1,500 underserved youth in Cuyahoga and Lorain counties by collecting holiday gifts for youth in our residential, foster care, homeless youth, urban school-based and PACT (families in crisis) programs. We invite our friends in the community to fill the holiday wish lists provided by the children. The children and teenagers in Bellefaire's programs are here because they have very severe social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Many have been abused. Details can be found here. Donations will be accepted up until Christmas.

Berea Animal Rescue Fund
The Berea Animal Rescue Fund has a specific list of items they need to help care for the animals in their care and to maintain their facility. You can see a list of items needed here. For more information, call 440-234-2034.

Camp Ho Mita Koda for children with diabetes
To provide the services to children with diabetes, we need your help with the 'everyday' items and ongoing maintenance to ensure a facility of this size and age will be here for another century! Here are some items you can donate today to give more kids that special experience of Camp Ho Mita Koda. Some are big, some are small, but each adds up to make the Camp what it is and has been for so many thousands of children since 1929. 

Caring Cubs
Many families think about giving back this time of year but they are also very busy during this time. Caring Cubs requires no commitment but gives families a monthly opportunity to give back to a different organization and with a variety of events. For information on upcoming events or to join the email list, visit www.caringcubs.org.
Caring Cubs also has openings on the board for adults who are interested in helping manage the organization.

Coats for Kids
Legacy Village is serving as a drop off location for Coats for Kids through December 29th. The bin is located at the top of the escalators on the second floor of the main building. Suede, wool, leather, and fur coats- as well as any hats, gloves or other clothing will be collected and donated to northeast Ohio non-profit organizations.  ven coats that are too damaged to be cleaned and distributed are turned into rags. No donation is ever discarded. This year, many coats will be given to children in need in public school districts in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties. The remaning coats are given to families connected to social service agencies in these same counties. For more information about Coats for Kids in northeast Ohio visit www.wtam.com.

Domestic Violence & Child Advocacy Center
There are several ways that families can help the DVCAC:
1. Host a cell phone drive to collect old cell phones (they do not have to work) that will either be used for emergency use only by victims, or be recycled with proceeds supporting programs for victims.
2. Adopt a Family for the holiday season. Purchase items on their wish list so that they can provide gifts to their loved ones.
3. Have a drive to get items for our Twinkle Shop event. This event allows our shelter residents to "shop" for their families without any cost to them.
4. Host a drive to get general items that our shelter currently needs.
5. Cook a meal for a shelter. These meals are prepared off-site and dropped off. No personal service is allowed.    
For more information and to get involved, check out www.dvcac.org

Fostering Hope
Fostering Hope is a local charity committed to enriching the lives of foster children. Through health and wellness programming and community involvement, they positively impact the lives of foster youth living in residential treatment centers in Northeast Ohio. Whether hosting a Stuff the Stocking Drive or volunteering your time at their annual Holiday Gift 'n Greet, they offer various ways to become involved throughout the month of December. 

Kisses from Heaven

Kisses from Heaven delivers gift bags to families whose babies are in area NICUs to offer them a moment of happiness during their stressful time of caring for a baby in the NICU. Kisses from Heaven will be delivering another round of gift baskets to area hospitals in December. They could use items such as new preemie sized sleepers, decorative journals, $10.00 gas station gift cards and the Guess How Much I Love You board book. View the full list of items and sign up to donate here.

Lake Metroparks Farmpark
Each year at Country Lights, we build over 10,000 toys one on one with children. The toys are simple wooden toys that the children build, paint and take home for lasting memories of the season. We are looking for elves interested in working at Santa's Workshop helping young children build tows. Must be comfortable working with simple tools, drills, hammers, nails and glue. We will train on how to put all of the toys together. There are also opportunities to volunteer at the Daytime Santa Workshop. Call the volunteer office at 440-585-3041 x6418 to sign up or for more information. See more at: lakemetroparks.com/about/volunteer/

Northeast Ohio SPCA
The Northeast Ohio SPCA, located in Parma, has a wish list for their shelter.
For a list of other volunteer opportunities, check out their website.

Project Night Night
Project Night Night does the amazing work of providing night time comforts to homeless children. Here are ways you can support them:
1. Shop their Amazon Wish List 
*Holidays are coming and they are so grateful for influx of new, high quality product
2. Tribute gifts for family, friends, co-workers and teachers during the upcoming holiday season. Project Night Night will send a card to the recipient letting them know a gift was made in their name.
3. See Other ways to get involved.

SC4K Socks & Underwear Drive
SC4K is the only non-profit organization in Greater Cleveland providing new shoes and clothes to thousands of children in need at no charge throughout the year. Since they only accept new items, one of the easiest and best ways to help is by holding a sock and underwear drive. For more information visit www.sc4k.org.