Blog   »   Time, Money, Goods, Skills:  Ways To Give During The Holiday Season And Beyond

With the holidays upon us, and global #GivingTuesday on November 29^th, many take stock of the goodness in their lives and look to share by giving back. There’s no shortage of charities, organizations, and individuals that would welcome help. Here we breakdown, by category, just a few local ways to get involved, connect and share. If you like this, we’ll

Give Your Time To Serve a Meal

While volunteer opportunities to serve Thanksgiving meals at longtime Tenderloin service organizations like St. Anthony’s and GLIDE have filled up, that doesn’t mean the lines of people waiting for free meals, which occur 365 days a year, disappear. Consider volunteering your time to serve meals throughout special holiday events in December and beyond. Each of these organizations offers many ways to get involved, and they could easily accommodate an opportunity in each category below. Check out their websites to learn more. To sign up for a meal-serving shift at GLIDE, use their volunteer calendar by clicking here, select a date and then follow the easy steps. For St. Anthony’s, create a volunteer account using an easy-to-fill online form by clicking here. Serving a meal offers a fast-paced, hard-work driven opportunity with a chance to connect with those neighbors in less fortunate circumstances. It is an experience that will leave you feeling connected and fulfilled.

Share Your Money By Giving Directly Though HandUp

HandUp, which launched right here in San Francisco, has taken the crowd-funding approach to harnessing philanthropy and social good. Showcasing a range of campaigns, from individuals and nonprofits, HandUp’s innovative, easy-to-use platform allows you to search, learn and contribute. So whether you want to contribute to an individual or nonprofit, you can use the filters or search bar to find a cause that speaks directly to you. Not sure where to start, HandUp gift cards allow you to purchase gift cards instead of cash for homeless neighbors in need. Cards are redeemed through service providers, thus creating an opportunity to connect those in need with available resources. You’ll receive an update when the cards are redeemed.

Share Your Skills

Many organizations, and schools like De Marillac Academy, offer opportunities to showcase your skills in ways to help others. Code Tenderloin is one such organization. Working to bridge opportunities for those with the most barriers to employment, this job development and workforce opportunity organization partners with leaders in technology and other industry to provide mock interviews, clothing, etiquette training and other radical support. Founded by longtime Tenderloin neighborhood and homeless advocate, and host to Tenderloin walking Tours, Del Seymour, Code Tenderloin thrives through collective impact, working together with community partners to create long-lasting employment opportunities for those who otherwise may not have had the chance. Consider volunteering your skills as an individual or company to provide opportunity. Use this online form to get in touch with the organization. Opportunities could range from being a guest presenter, working as a mentor, hosting a cohort at your company, being a mock interviewer and more. A good rule of thumb, the best partnerships start with communication, building an understanding of needs and capability in developing a plan for working together.

Provide Goods

Among the items most in demand for those experiencing homelessness are hygiene products, fresh socks and, during the colder months, blankets and jackets. You can connect with your preferred social service organization, like those listed above, to learn how to provide the most basic items. As an alternate, a current partnership with the Tenderloin Museum and Crack + Cider. Crack + Cider is a concept store offering essential goods one can purchase for those living on the streets. Crack + Cider items will be available at the museum store now through December 24^th. Among items for purchase are hats, gloves, backpacks, waterproof jackets, care packs for women and more. Can’t make it to the museum, not to worry, you can purchase items from the online store here.

For those who’d rather purchase gifts for children during the holidays, the San Francisco Police Department, in partnership with Walgreens, is currently accepting toy donations, which can be dropped off at any Walgreens store. If you’d like to contribute funds in lieu of dropping off for their annual toy drive, visit the GoFundMe page here.

Did you enjoy reading about local ways to get involved? If so, we’ll continue this as a series, providing you with more opportunities in this format as a way of showcasing more individuals and organizations doing good work it the area.