In a year marked by a pandemic, social justice movements and an economic crisis, giving back and giving thanks are more meaningful than ever. This year’s crises have disrupted society and thrown into stark relief the inequalities impacting so many of us.

Those who have not lost their lives, their jobs, their homes or their loved ones have so much to be thankful for at this time of year, even as they acknowledge that there are many, many others grieving and going without this holiday season. We at RH Strategic have been inspired by all the efforts to give back and support the community that we have seen from businesses, clients and, most importantly, our own colleagues.

We hope that providing details on our holiday giving program will inspire other businesses and organizations to create similar giving programs during the season. For this program, we asked the whole staff: If you had $300 to give to any charity or cause, which one would you choose? Their answers reflect the variety of organizations and groups in need today, as well as basic necessities, such as food and shelter, that become all the more critical when temperatures drop and belts tighten even further.

Below is a list of more than 30 worthy organizations to which our staff donated $300 each with funds provided by the firm. Together, we donated almost $10,000 to nonprofit organizations large and small, national and hyper-local. When we looked at the complete list, we found that the organizations tended to share certain missions and to work within six key areas. We invite you to learn more about their missions and to give whatever you can — as individuals and as businesses — this holiday season.

Hunger — Nonprofits Fighting Food Insecurity

  1. Capital Area Food Bank (x2): The Capital Area Food Bank leads the Greater D.C. area’s efforts to provide healthy food to people struggling with hunger and food insecurity. Each year, it sources and distributes food for over 30 million meals.
  2. Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona: The food bank responds to the root causes of hunger and seeks to restore dignity, health, opportunity and hope to people living in poverty. Its mission is to change lives in the communities it serves by feeding the hungry today, and building a healthy, hunger-free tomorrow.
  3. DC Central Kitchen: Its mission is to use food as a tool to strengthen bodies, empower minds and build communities. It provides hands-on culinary job training for individuals facing high barriers to employment while creating living wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignified food where it is most needed.
  4. The Greater Boston Food Bank: GBFB is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and among the largest food banks in the country. Last year, it distributed 68.5 million pounds of nutritious food to people who struggle to have enough to eat.
  5. Martha’s Table: This organization’s mission is to support strong children, strong families, and strong communities by increasing access to high-quality education, healthy food, and family and community supports.
  6. Northwest Harvest: Northwest Harvest is Washington state’s leading hunger relief agency. It distributes food to partner programs across the state and advocates for food justice.
  7. World Central Kitchen: World Central Kitchen is an organization devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters and during crises. Founded in 2010 by celebrity chef José Andrés, the organization now works directly with restaurants to deliver meals to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health — Nonprofits Working to Keep Us Healthy

  1. American Cancer Society: The American Cancer Society is a nationwide, community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. Its mission is to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer.
  2. Bloodworks Northwest: An independent nonprofit harnessing donor gifts to provide a safe, lifesaving blood supply to 95% of hospitals in the Pacific Northwest. Its mission is to save lives through research, innovation, education and excellence in blood, medical and laboratory services in partnership with its community.
  3. National Alliance on Mental Illness: NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.
  4. Partners in Health: Partners in Health is a global health organization restoring social justice by bringing quality health care to the most vulnerable around the world. By establishing long-term relationships with sister organizations based in settings of poverty, PIH brings the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need.
  5. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital: St. Jude is leading the world in treating and defeating childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Its mission is to advance cures and means of prevention for catastrophic pediatric diseases through research and treatment. No child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family’s ability to pay.
  6. Susan G. Komen: This well-known nonprofit is on a mission to save lives by meeting the most critical needs in its communities and investing in breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer. It is the largest breast cancer organization in the United States.

Housing — Nonprofits Providing Resources for Youth and the Homeless

  1. Community Lodgings: This organization’s mission is to lift families from homelessness and instability to independence and self-sufficiency through Transitional Housing, Affordable Housing and Youth Education Programs.
  2. FUSION: A nonprofit based in Federal Way, WA, whose mission is to provide housing and support services to families experiencing homelessness in its community so they will have a safe, secure environment as they work toward self-sufficiency.
  3. Note in the Pocket: Note in the Pocket provides clothing to impoverished and homeless schoolchildren in Wake County with dignity and love. The organization believes that it is unacceptable that children are limited in their educational and social development because they do not have appropriate clothes for school.
  4. Para Los Niños: Para Los Niños is a grassroots community organization founded by members of the community it serves—the growing immigrant, Spanish-speaking population in South King County.
  5. P:ear: p:ear builds positive relationships with homeless youth in Portland through education, art and recreation to affirm personal worth and create more meaningful and healthier lives.
  6. Team Read: Team Read propels young students to become inspired, joyful readers and teens to become impactful leaders, ready to succeed in school and life, building stronger communities for all.

Safety — Nonprofits Keeping Us Safe in Crises

  1. Crisis Text Line: Crisis Text Line is free, 24/7 support for those in crisis. Text 741741 from anywhere in the US to text with a trained Crisis Counselor. Crisis Text Line trains volunteers to support people in crisis and has held over 4 million conversations to date.
  2. Operation Gratitude: Operation Gratitude’s mission is to forge strong bonds between Americans and their Military and First Responder Heroes through volunteer service projects, acts of gratitude, and meaningful engagements in communities nationwide.
  3. Valley Oasis: Valley Oasis is a community-based organization dedicated to eliminating social and domestic violence and homelessness through community awareness, intervention, prevention, safe shelter, and supportive services.

Equality — Nonprofits Making Society Better for Everyone

  1. ACLU: For nearly 100 years, the ACLU has been our nation’s guardian of liberty, working in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
  2. Equal Justice Initiative: EJI is a nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. It challenges the death penalty and excessive punishment, and it provides re-entry assistance to formerly incarcerated people.
  3. Ingersoll Gender Center: Ingersoll is one of the oldest organizations by and for transgender and gender nonconforming communities in the United States. Formed in 1977, Ingersoll has been building community, connecting folks to resources and advocating for its communities in the Puget Sound region for over four decades.
  4. NAACP Legal Defense Fund: The NAACP Legal Defense Fund is America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, LDF seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans.

Animals — Nonprofits Protecting Our Furry Friends

  1. Appalachian Great Pyrenees Rescue: This organization’s mission is help unite Great Pyrenees dogs with their prospective new homes. It also helps reunite lost dogs with their owners and provides guidance for those folks who think that they might need to find a home for their Great Pyrenees.
  2. Companion Bridge: The Companion Bridge mission is to provide a loving and supportive community for people to connect, share and assist one another on behalf of companion animals. Its purpose is to address, educate, and provide online space to raise funds for people with either special needs companion animals or animals requiring significant financial medical attention that would otherwise be euthanized.
  3. The Humane Society of the United States: The Human Society fights puppy mills, factory farms, the fur trade, trophy hunting, animal cosmetics testing and other cruel industries. It rescues and cares for thousands of animals every year through its Animal Rescue Team’s work and other hands-on animal care services.

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RH Strategic is a Seattle and D.C.-based communications firm with a nationwide presence and additional global reach via membership in the Worldcom Public Relations Group. We provide strategic public relations for innovators in the technology, government and healthcare markets.