Volunteers picking up trash along Galveston Bay (Courtesy: Galveston Bay Foundation)

Giving Tuesday is upon us. Every year the movement takes place just after Thanksgiving to encourage people around the world to do good – whether that’s volunteering at a local food bank, donating funds to a cause or just a simple a gesture of kindness – every act of generosity counts, and the impact is great. This year marks the 10th anniversary since the inception of Giving Tuesday. We’ve rounded up a few organizations across the Houston area to give you an opportunity to participate in Giving Tuesday on Nov. 29.  

Houston

Communities in Schools Houston serves more than 170 schools across Greater Houston by placing at least one full-time CIS Student Support Manager on each campus to deliver comprehensive direct services and to provide referrals to community resources that are tailored to fit students’ specific needs. Whether a student needs someone to talk to, healthcare services, school supplies, or a safe place to live, CIS is there to help. The Pit Room will be matching donations up to $5,000, so your contribution will go twice as far this year.

NestQuest’s ultimate mission is to break the cycle of inter-generation poverty and systemic segregation in schools by expanding housing access in high opportunity area for low-income families. The nonprofit ensures that every child placed through their program is enrolled in an exceptional school.

United Way of Greater Houston helps Houstonians overcome barriers to achieve success and thrive by providing tools, resources and educational support to individuals and families. United Way helps fund dozens of partner nonprofits that also directly serve the community.

BakerRipley has been serving the greater Houston area since 1907. The nonprofit organization describes itself as a place of opportunity by providing a wide range of services, including Head Start, day care, after-school programming, senior-citizen care, disaster relief, job training and more. They are always looking for volunteers, and of course, they welcome donations. 

The Galveston Bay Foundation aims to preserve and enhance Galveston Bay through education, habitat restoration, water protection, land conservation, and advocacy programs. The nonprofit has been serving as guardian of Galveston Bay since 1987.

Katy

Katy Responds helps to physically restore homes of Katy area disadvantaged families damaged by hurricane Harvey, as well as subsequent natural, economic, and personal disasters, while providing emotional and spiritual support through partnering with community advocacy services and support organizations.

Carrie’s Heart is dedicated to improving the education, community involvement and overall quality of life of children with disabilities. The offer local resources to families with children with special needs. The organization also provides medical resources, training and support for families, professionals and volunteers in Mexico. Their biggest need is financial support and new clothing donations for children and youth sizes.

Sugar Land

Sole Loved Shoes provides new and gently used tennis shoes to people in need. It’s a nonprofit with a simple mission, but Stacy Bourgeois, founder and CEO, writes seeing “the excitement in a child's eyes and tears of overwhelming joy when they receive, maybe for the first time, their new pair of shoes...well, that's when you know you've made a difference.”

Unite and Inspire aims to unite and inspire children, youth and adults to volunteer and give back to communities in need by sharing resources to cultivate their growth as civic-minded responsible global citizens. The nonprofit provides STEAM programs for youth, partnerships with other service organizations to create impactful projects, virtual workshops and more. 

Montgomery County

Children’s Safe Harbor is dedicated to helping reduce the trauma of abused children and their non-offending caregivers by facilitating a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary team approach to intervention, investigation, prosecution and treatment of child abuse.

Education for Tomorrow Alliance connects the business and education communities in Montgomery County with innovative programs focused on career, leadership and STEM preparation to provide students with hands-on learning opportunities.