Giving guide

The News & Observer’s Holiday Giving Guide is a searchable database of area charities. Donors can use it to match their donations of money, clothing, food, furniture or volunteer services to the organization needing them most. This list contains only a sampling of more than 120 participating charities.

Before you donate

Ask for the charity’s name, address, and written information on the charity’s programs and finances. Is it a licensed nonprofit?

Watch for cases of mistaken identity. Some charity names sound alike. Be careful that the one soliciting you is the one you have in mind.

Know how much of your donation actually goes where it’s needed. Ask or look for a disclosure that states how much will go to the charity’s programs, compared to how much is paid to the company the charity has contracted to raise funds.

Watch out for charity fraud. Legitimate charities willingly provide written information about their programs and finances. They never insist you provide your credit card number or bank account number.

Check them out

The Better Business Bureau lists the financial data of charities that meet its wise giving standards for charitable accountability.

The N.C. Secretary of State’s office licenses most charities or professional fundraising organizations operating in this state and keeps a searchable database of each organization’s financial information. Information also can be obtained by e-mailing csl@sosnc.com or calling 888-830-4989 toll free.

BounceBack Kids

1289 Fordham Blvd.

Chapel Hill, NC 27514

www.bouncebackkids.org

Description: Our mission is to enrich the lives of children with serious medical conditions and their families through free year-round recreational, athletic and social activities and support services offered in a caring, safe environment.

Donations needed: Gift cards of $5-$10 to Barnes and Noble, Borders or Target to purchase gifts for families when children are rehospitalized or must travel for medical treatment. $5-$10 gas cards for families to attend events held throughout the Triangle.

Volunteers needed: Working with kids during activities (fitness and basketball sessions, bowling, etc), doing administrative tasks. All volunteers must undergo background checks, complete our application form and have current flu shot.

Volunteer time: We usually have two events per month. We ask that volunteers attend at least six events during the year.

$10 would buy: FunFuel (a gas card) for a family to attend our activities for a month.

$20 would buy: Arts and crafts supplies for one of our monthly family events.

$50 would buy: Refreshments for a garden party.

Contact: Lisa Brachman, 246-9100 ext.0

Children’s Flight

of Hope

130 Edinburgh South Drive, Suite 203

Cary, NC 27511

www.childrensflightofhope.org

Description: Provides free, private air transportation to and from medical facilities for seriously ill or injured children who, due to medical, financial, or logistical reasons, are unable to travel to their destinations by any other mode.

Donations needed: Fleece blanket and pillow sets that we can offer our children and families. We are also in need of Fund-A-Flight partners who would like to make monetary donations to fund partial, complete or multiple flights for children in need.

Volunteers needed: Technology volunteers to assist in data entry and technology support, office administration volunteers.

Volunteer time: Some tasks require few hours, others a more significant time contribution.

$10 would: Help buy an aviator teddy bear for each ill or injured child we are transporting.

$20 would buy: A fleece blanket and pillow set a child can bring along to the hospital as he or she receives treatment.

$50 would buy: Ground transportation directly from the airport to the hospital, greatly reducing the stress and financial burden on a family.

Contact: Holly Beaston, 466-8593

Family Violence and Rape Crisis Services

P.O. Box 1105

Pittsboro, NC 27516

www.fvrc.org

Description: Provides domestic violence and sexual assault services including shelter, crisis line, counseling, court advocacy, support groups, displaced homemaker and batterer intervention services and prevention programs. Services are in Spanish and English.

Donations needed: Angel tree presents for families and children affected by domestic and sexual violence (Angel Tree is located at Second Bloom, 68 Hillsboro Street in Pittsboro. Can also call for a client family’s wish list.); food, toiletries and household products for shelter and families leaving shelter; furniture and household goods for families moving to safe homes.

Volunteers needed: Yard work and repairs for shelter and agency facilities; donated services for victims (such as car repairs, hair salon, pet refuge, etc.).

Volunteer time: No minimum.

$10 would buy: Food for a family of four in the shelter for one day, bus fare for a week to go to work.

$20 would buy: One hour of crisis counseling and support for a victim seeking protection, one hour of support for a rape victim seeking medical assistance or going through the justice system.

$50 would buy: Two hours of support for victims navigating the justice system, one support group for a group of victims learning how to move forward after crisis, one night of shelter for a victim seeking refuge from domestic violence.

Contact: Marianna Spence, 542-5445

Kramden Institute

4915 Prospectus Dr., Suite J

Durham, NC 27713

www.kramden.org

Description: Dedicated to empowering hardworking economically less-advantaged students to bridge the digital divide and advance their academic and personal achievements by awarding them home computers. Seven thousand computers have been awarded.

Donations needed: PCs less than five years old, laptops, PC hard drives 20GB and larger, RAM 256 MB and higher, LCD monitors in working condition, CDRW or DVD drives. Monetary donations. It costs Kramden approximately $65 to refurbish a computer.

Volunteers needed: Wednesday Work Nights (5 to 9 p.m.), volunteers refurbish computers following our 4-step process (we will show you how). Dec. 18: Mini Geek-A-Thon/Computer Award Day. Volunteers will refurbish computers and help award computers to students.

Volunteer time: 4 hours.

$10 would buy: RAM for one refurbished computer, a 20GB hard drive for one refurbished computer, or one operating system license for a refurbished computer.

$50 would buy: Much of the equipment and operating costs that go into a refurbished computer.

Contact: Cari DelMariani, 293-1133

MATCH-Mothers and Their Children

P.O. Box 14469

Raleigh, NC 27620

www.prisonmatch.org

Description: MATCH strengthens the families of moms incarcerated at the women’s prison. We bring children to visit their mothers in a homelike center where they read, play games, cook and eat a meal together -- and hug, letting the children know they are loved.

Donations needed: Gift cards for Christmas and birthday gifts. Donations to pay for gas for families who drive to Raleigh from all over the state for monthly visits and for plane tickets for children living in other states to come for Christmas and the summer.

Volunteers needed: To supervise visits between mothers and children; serve on committees for fundraising, special events, and program evaluation; and to serve on the board of directors.

Volunteer time: Three hours a month.

$10 would buy: A birthday gift for a child.

$20 would buy: Gas for a family to bring a child from Wilmington to Raleigh for a visit with mom.

$50 would buy: One night’s lodging for children from out of state who are coming to visit their mothers for Christmas.

Contact: Joan Purcell, 828-4767

Ryan Epps Home for Children (Haiti)

929 Mulberry Road

Clayton, NC 27520

www.ryaneppshome.com

Description: Provides a home for 12 children who are either orphaned or who have parents who are unable to provide care for their child. When construction of the home is completed, we will provide care for up to 40 children.

Donations needed: Donations will be used to complete construction of the permanent home in Haiti. Donations will be used to complete the dorms, bathrooms, dining room and living area for the director and his family.

Donations would buy: Materials to complete the building. These materials will include doors, bathroom fixtures, lights, ceiling fans, wallboard, floor treatments, etc.

Contact: Al Carpenter, 553-4572

The Green Chair Project

P.O. Box 12761

Raleigh, NC 27605

www.thegreenchair.org

Description: Provides household furnishings assistance to individuals and families who are transitioning from homelessness to help support and encourage a self-sufficient, sustainable future. Clients are referred from local service agencies.

Donations needed: Household items and furnishings in usable condition (see website for complete listing). Financial contributions help clients to be able to furnish their homes.

Volunteers needed: Helping sort and clean donations, furniture and upholstery upfitting and repair, design assistance for our recipients, administrative support.

Volunteer time: Volunteer opportunities are available in two-hour blocks.

$10 would buy: A gift card to send to a person for Christmas that would help him or her afford a lamp.

$20 would: Help someone afford a table and chairs for a family to be able to share a meal around a table together.

$50 would: Help someone afford a furnished living room to provide a family gathering space.

Contact: Jackie Craig, 601-9121

Share Our Shoes

1107 Capital Blvd.

Raleigh, NC 27603

www.shareourshoes.org

Description: A shoe charity dedicated to recycling shoes for those in desperate need. SOS has sent 395,000 pairs to Haiti earthquake victims, 27,000 pairs to flood victims in Nashville and more than 10,000 pairs to local homeless, elderly and families.

Donations needed: New and gently used shoes (men’s, women’s and children’s -- all sizes and styles) as well as funds to ship shoes around the world and support our mission.

Volunteers needed: To organize shoe drives in their neighborhoods, schools, businesses and churches. Volunteers are also needed at SOS headquarters to help receive, sort and distribute donated shoes.

$10 would: Help SOS ship 10 pairs of shoes to those in need in Haiti.

$20 would: Help ship 20 pairs of shoes.

$50 would: Help ship 50 pairs of shoes.

Contact: Jennifer Pierce, 805-3007

Cornucopia Cancer Support Center

5517 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd., Suite 1000

Durham, NC 27707

www.cancersupport4u.org

Description: Cornucopia is a place where anyone touched by cancer can find support and resources to live life to the fullest. Offers, at no charge, therapeutic massage, yoga, individual/group support, a library, nutrition counseling, etc. Nonclinical environment.

Donations needed: Gift cards to book stores to expand library resources; one new Dell computer, monitor and color printer; one new laptop computer; conference-room podium.

Volunteers needed: Receptionists, help with website maintenance, provide administrative support, help with fundraising events and grant writing.

Volunteer time: Flexible. Most volunteers work four hours per week.

$10 would buy: Copy paper and folders for peer-to-peer training.

$20 would buy: A massage for a cancer patient or his or her caregiver.

$50 would buy: Two printer cartridges, a one hour yoga class for 15 people dealing with cancer.

Contact: Maxine Turner Fitts, 401-9333

Millionaires in Training

5 W. Hargett St., Suite 308

Raleigh, NC 27601

www.millionairetraining.org

Description: A youth entrepreneurship training and development program specifically targeted to adolescent boys and girls in traditionally underserved communities. Local professionals teach business ownership skills to participants.

Donations needed: Donations are needed to fund an upcoming mission trip to Uganda to provide books and introduce basic business skills to orphans and vocational school students. Funds are also needed to purchase supplies and cover U.S. student field-trip expenses.

Volunteers needed: Business instructors and professionals are needed to facilitate MiT courses during the traditional school semester. Resumes can be uploaded online at www.millionairetraining.org.

Volunteer Time: Six hours per semester or 12 hours per year.

$10 would buy: One copy of “The Bizeebee Family Business” children’s book about entrepreneurship.

$20 would buy: Two copies of “The Bizeebee Family Business.”

$50 would buy: Workbooks, supplies and materials for one Millionaires in Training student for the entire semester; or five copies of “The Bizeebee Family Business.

Contact: Valerie Fields, 336-362-9668

Haiti Goat Project

NCSU Dept. of Animal Science

Raleigh, NC 27695-7621

http://harvest.cals.ncsu.edu/

health_pac/index.cfm?pageID=2338

Description: Project operates in Gressier, Haiti, and supports operation of a 65-acre farm that supplies protein-rich foods (meat, eggs, fish) to 1,400 schoolchildren daily. Also supports farmer education outreach to improve animal management.

Donations needed: Donations in the form of a check, money order, etc., can be made to "NCSU-Haiti Goat Project."

Donations would buy: Supplies to maintain farm and animals and breed female goats in herd. Offspring will be distributed to other communities so they can develop their own herds or will be used in the feeding program to improve the diet quality of local schoolchildren.

Contact: Charlotte E. Farin, 515-4022

Teaming for Technology

2400 Perimeter Park Drive

Morrisville, NC 27560

www.unitedwaytriangle.org/t4t/

Description: Dedicated to narrowing the achievement gap by bridging the digital divide. To support its mission, T4T provides refurbished computers to schools and education supporting nonprofits and their students.

Donations needed: Computers that are Pentium 4 or higher. Keyboards, mice, power cords and speakers. Donations from businesses are especially helpful in quantities of 10 or more as they will be refurbished and made available to schools. Please erase all hard drives.

Volunteers needed: All that is required is a pair of closed-toed shoes, a willingness to volunteer and the ability to take directions. We have an “Open Volunteer Window” every Friday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Ages 12 and up are welcome.

Volunteer time: Three hours on Fridays. Or organize your group for a “Hardware Party,” a half day of fun and volunteer work directed toward bridging the digital divide. Clean keyboards and mice, blow dust out of computers, load software and test computers. All skill levels.

$10 would buy: A recycled CRT monitor.

$20 would buy: Half of a desktop computer for a special-needs family.

$50 would buy: A desktop computer with an LCD monitor for a United Way partner agency.

Contact: Al Reynolds, 463-5031

N.C. MedAssist

www.medassist.org

Description: N.C. MedAssist is a statewide free pharmacy program that helps low-income, uninsured North Carolinians get their needed prescription medications free of charge. There are more than a million low-income, uninsured North Carolinians in need.

Donations needed: Monetary donations to N.C. MedAssist supplement the medicines donated by pharmaceutical companies. For every dollar donated to MedAssist, $8 is returned to the community in free medicines.

$10 would buy: $80 worth of life-saving medicines for North Carolinians in need, for conditions like heart disease, diabetes and acute infections.

$20 would buy: $160 worth of medicines.

$50 would buy: $400 worth of medicines.

Contact: Kelly Musante, 704-536-1790

The Carying Place Inc.

919 Kildaire Farm Road

Cary, NC 27511

www.thecaryingplace.org

Description: Teaches homeless, working families with children life skills for independent living while providing short-term housing and support services.

Donations needed: Furniture, household items, etc.

Volunteers needed: Provide a service. Our families often require services that are out of their reach financially (examples: car repair, legal or medical help).

Volunteer time: We have volunteer opportunities to fit any schedule.

$10 would: Help purchase supplies for The Carying Place’s children’s program.

$20 would: Help purchase an emergency grocery or gas card for one of our families.

$50 would: Help pay a utility bill for one of six homes in which we house our families.

Contact: Alice McCall, 462-1800

Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina

3808 Tarheel Drive

Raleigh, NC 27609

www.foodbankcenc.org

Description: Provides food for more than 500,000 people at risk of hunger in 34 counties through warehouses in Durham, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, the Sandhills and Wilmington. For every $1 donated, the Food Bank can provide $8 worth of food or four meals.

Donations needed: Monetary donations to provide 1.4 million meals before Dec. 31. Canned meals (stews, tuna, ravioli), peanut butter, cereal or canned vegetables.

Volunteers needed: Volunteers needed to host food drives and help spread the word of needs in our area.

$10 would buy: Food for a family of four to have dinner for more than a week.

$20 would buy: Nearly two weeks of groceries for an elderly couple.

$50 would buy: Breakfast for 50 schoolchildren for an entire month.

Contact: Jen Newmeyer, 865-3047

Women’s Center of Wake County Inc.

128 E. Hargett St., Suite 10

Raleigh, NC 27601

www.wcwc.org

Description: Serves single women and women with children who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. We provide for basic needs, support and housing. The only day shelter in Wake County.

Donations needed: Walmart gift cards ($25 for adults or $15 for youth), new toys (unwrapped), financial contributions, personal and feminine hygiene products, Pampers and Depends, nonperishable food, city bus tickets.

Volunteers needed: For special projects; groups needed for lunches.

Volunteer time: Four hours per month.

$10 would buy: Bus transportation for five women to seek employment.

$20 would buy: Laundry vouchers for eight homeless women.

$50 would buy: A week’s worth of groceries for six families.

Contact: Jean Williams, 829-3711

CORA (Chatham OutReach Alliance, Inc.) Food Pantry

Box 1326-40 Camp Drive

Pittsboro, NC 27312

www.corafoodpantry.org

Description: Mission is to provide emergency food assistance. Clients must be referred by a social service agency or church.

Donations needed: Monetary gifts to purchase foods. Donations of food: canned soups, vegetables, light fruits, salmon, beans, cereal, oatmeal and grits.

Volunteers needed: To serve both in pantry operations, as well as for community outreach activities.

Volunteer time: Usually two-hour shifts for work in the pantry with client services or stocking shelves.

$10 would buy: 11.5 meals for individuals and families in Chatham County; about half of our clients are children and many are senior citizens.

$20 would buy: 23 meals.

$50 would buy: 57.5 meals.

Contact: Emily Harms, 542-5020

The Arc of Johnston County

605 Castleberry Road

Clayton, NC 27527

Description: Assists people with developmental disabilities in all avenues of their lives.

Donations needed: Gifts for children and adults with developmental disabilities to be given at our sixth annual holiday celebration on Dec. 12. They will talk with Santa then pick a gift. Activities include dinner, bingo (need prizes) and a sing-along.

Volunteers needed: Assist with food plates, take pictures, sing, interact with guests.

Volunteer time: Four hours.

$10 would buy: Adult gifts – our greatest need.

$20 would buy: Adult gifts.

$50 would buy: Gifts for adults and children.

Contact: Jill Carpenter, 749-4486

The Arc of Wake County Inc.

1300 St. Mary’s St., Suite 502

Raleigh, NC 27605

www.arcwake.org

Description: Partners with individuals with developmental disabilities and their families to help them achieve their life’s goals.

Donations needed: Toiletries for men and women (razors, shaving cream, soaps, deodorants, shampoos, etc.); gift cards to Walmart and Target; gently used coats in larger sizes; basic electronics (CD players, clock radios, headphones); some household furniture.

Volunteers needed: For special events in December and January to host fun events and to interact with children and adults with developmental disabilities. Ongoing mentoring volunteer opportunities in The Arc’s Community Connection program.

Volunteer time: For one time special events and activities, 2-3 hours. For mentoring opportunities, a few hours per month.

$10 would buy: Basic necessities and snack items that the individuals we support cannot afford.

$20 would buy: Winter clothing or activity fees for our adults to participate in social and recreational activities.

$50 would buy: Scholarship assistance to families looking for help with communication devices, camp or job training programs, and other enriching opportunities for children and young adults who may not qualify for assistance elsewhere.

Contact: Steve Strom, 832-2660