With the holidays upon us, we soon will be enjoying time with our family, eating copious amounts of food, and of course emptying our bank accounts on gifts for everyone we know. This year, I am proposing that we as consumers give less material gifts to each other and instead give the gift of giving. Let us be selfless in our gifts and donate to a charity in the name of the recipient instead of buying them that ugly scarf they will never wear.
Since this is a gift, you should keep in mind who you are donating for. If the recipient is an animal lover, consider donating to an animal shelter. For the person that is always opening their home to friends, why not choose a charity that works to end homelessness? Matching the person up to a charity that would fit their personality best is going to make the gift more meaningful to the recipient.
It is important to remember that you should research charities that you are donating to before writing the check. If your loved one has deep roots in LGBT activism, you should avoid donating to the Salvation Army as their ethics do not line up with your recipients. You also want to know that your money is going to who it is intended to and not all to the pockets of the CEO. Below, I have picked a few Chicago-based charities to give you some ideas of places to donate to.
The Anti-Cruelty Society
www.anticruelty.org
157 West Grand Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60654
The Anti-Cruelty Society is a fantastic place to donate to for the animal lover in your life. The Society works very hard to facilitate a good environment for animals to find their forever homes. Low-cost clinics and plenty of education for pet owners makes putting pets into homes an easy transition.
The Society has a rich history on their website that is worth taking the time to read. While visiting the website, you can also take a look at financial statements and their 501(c)(3) status letter.
Writing a check to the Society is not the only way to make a contribution. There are several naming opportunities as well as a long wish list. Take your time to peruse the website to see what option would be best for your gift recipient.
Greater Chicago Food Depository
www.chicagosfoodbank.org
4100 West Ann Lurie Place
Chicago, Illinois 60632
Did you know that every year 232,100 households in Chicago receive food from one of Greater Chicago Food Depository’s programs? Many of these families are falling below the poverty line and often have to make tough choices. According to the Food Depository’s website, their clients are sometimes having to make choices between eating and paying medical bills, utility bills, rent or mortgage, for transportation, or for education.
The Food Depository has 650 pantries, soup kitchens, mobile programs, shelters, and more that not only help put food on the tables of those in need but also work to address the root causes of hunger. They also work to provide not only shelf-stable food, but also fresh produce, dairy products and meat.
On the Food Depository’s website, you can find a financial breakdown of where the money comes from, where it goes, where the food goes, etc. Food bank operations receive 93.5% of the resources. And much of the food is distributed out to pantries.
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
www.chicagohomeless.org
70 East Lake Street
Chicago, Illinois 60601
In an analysis done by Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) in August 2014, there were approximately 138,575 Chicagoans that were homeless. This includes 22,144 students in the 2013-2014 school year. CCH is trying to end these staggering statistics.
Since 1980, CCH has been fighting for the human right to housing. According to their website, they are the “only non-profit in Illinois dedicated to advocating for public policies that curb and can ultimately end homelessness.”
CCH not only helps provide affordable housing, it also works to provide access to jobs, training, and public schools. CCH also does not accept government funding, because they want to remain independent without the pressures of government. Since they don’t have any government funding, they rely on donations from the public.
South Chicago Art Center
www.happyartcenter.org
3217 East 91st Street
Chicago, Illinois 60617
For the art lover in your life, consider donating to the South Chicago Art Center (SCAC). SCAC works to incorporate art into the lives of children from the south side of Chicago. These students, ages 6 and up, live in impoverish areas that are stricken by gang violence.
SCAC is currently working to expand to a much larger location called SkyART. This would increase their facility size from 600 to 6,000 square feet. The new facility will include four studios, offices, a gallery space, and a kiln. It also will be located in an area that more students will be able to access since it will be out of the way of gang division lines.
SCAC does receive a lot of government funding, however most of their funding comes from private donations. A lot of the donations go straight into the afterschool and art integration programs in the local schools. Donations can be sent to the Art Center via PayPal. The link for donating, as well as, more information about SCAC is on their website.
Lauren Dwyer
Deputy Editor-in-Chief