Every 12 months, after the purchasing fervor of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, comes Giving Tuesday, a world initiative encouraging individuals to make use of their {dollars} for good. There’s no particular charity or organization tied to the motion—as an alternative, you’re welcomed to decide on the trigger that lights you up and donate accordingly. To allow you to discover the recipient closest to your coronary heart, we rounded up 31 San Diego nonprofits combating for social justice, environmental conservation, and every thing in between. Donate your time or money to considered one of these significant organizations making a distinction regionally.
Hunger & Poverty | Social Justice | Health & Medicine | Animals | Youth & Elderly | Arts & Culture | Environment
Hunger & Poverty Charities
Feeding San Diego
Feeding San Diego is likely one of the county’s most impactful hunger-relief organizations. To date, the nonprofit has supplied San Diegans with greater than 34 million meals by initiatives reminiscent of meals drives, CalFresh program help, college pantries, meals rescue applications, and extra. The organization makes use of extra inventory from native grocery shops and farms to cut back meals waste whereas combating starvation in our space.
Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank
The San Diego food bank distributed 44 million kilos of meals final 12 months and serves almost half one million individuals each month throughout the county. As they advocate for the hungry and supply them with nutritious meals, they educate others about points associated to meals insecurity regionally.
Lucky Duck Foundation
Lucky Duck funds and leads applications targeted on aiding San Diego’s homeless inhabitants. The organization connects people to shelters, supplies employment alternatives and job coaching, and delivers meals and water to unhoused individuals.
Social Justice Organizations
This Is About Humanity
This Is About Humanity focuses on serving to youngsters separated from their households on the border. The org helps households by offering authorized companies, psychological wellness checkups, and residing necessities. It additionally funds instructional journeys to the border and fights for modifications to the US asylum system.
GenerateHope
Founded by Susan Munsey, LCSW, GenerateHope provides sex trafficking survivors long-term care, psychological well being companies, protected housing, and complete teaching programs to assist them reintegrate into society and build brighter futures. To date, this system has helped greater than 150 ladies in San Diego.
Support the Enlisted Project
Support the Enlisted Project (STEP) goals to develop monetary literacy amongst enlisted service members and not too long ago discharged veterans. STEP affords counseling, training, and grants to navy members and their households. The organization additionally maintains an emergency monetary help program and distributes meals, provides for infants, and different gadgets to navy households in want.
Fundación Tijuana Sin Hambre
During the pandemic, Mexico reached its highest poverty degree in a century. In response, Maru Rique created Tijuana Sin Hambre, an organization combating starvation in San Diego’s sister metropolis throughout the border. The nonprofit delivers 3,000 meals per day to shelters and orphanages all through Tijuana.
AMVETS
AMVETS (American Veterans) works to help native veterans by psychological and bodily well being assets and housing applications. You can even assist AMVETS by purchasing at its two native thrift shops.
ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a public curiosity regulation agency working to guard human rights within the US. The organization’s native department fights for equality, immigrant rights, reproductive justice, training fairness, housing fairness, and LGBTQ rights by litigation and lobbying efforts.
Health & Medical Charities
Scripps Health Foundation
As probably the most extremely ranked hospital in San Diego County, Scripps focuses on philanthropy with the brand new Here for Good marketing campaign, which is elevating funds for the enlargement of the Scripps medical system and group applications. The Scripps Health Foundation helps medical analysis and look after sufferers dealing with most cancers, Covid, neurological points, and extra.
Rady Children’s Hospital Foundation
The Rady Children’s Hospital is taken into account one of many prime ten youngsters’s hospitals within the US. Its basis funds orthopedic, cardiovascular, neurological, genomic, and psychological well being analysis for native youngsters.
San Diego Blood Bank
San Diego Blood Bank donates 150,000 items of blood per 12 months to hospitals all through Southern California. The nonprofit additionally helps analysis into extra superior blood sort matching and the utilization of umbilical wire blood to deal with numerous ailments.
San Ysidro Health
San Ysidro Health affords inexpensive care in additional than 20 clinics throughout San Diego County. Children and adults can make the most of San Ysidro Health for medical, dental, and behavioral or psychological well being companies.
Animal Charities
Baja Animal Sanctuary
Established in 1997, Baja Animal Sanctuary is Northern Mexico’s solely no-kill shelter. The organization sterilizes stray and deserted animals, cares for greater than 400 pets at its Rosarita campus, and finds ceaselessly houses for rescued cats and dogs.
Helen Woodward Animal Center
In addition to functioning as a shelter for rescued dogs and cats, the Helen Woodward Animal Center delivers pet meals to homebound, low-income, and disabled seniors and veterans; affords instructional and animal remedy applications; and operates two animal hospitals.
San Diego Humane Society
Every 12 months, the San Diego Humane Society cares for over 40,000 animals, whereas sharing its experience with different shelters nationwide. The organization raises orphaned child cats in its kitten nursery, rehabilitates wild animals, and teaches youngsters about pet security, amongst different applications.
FACE Foundation
The Foundation for Animal Care and Education (FACE) companions with native veterinary hospitals and healthcare suppliers to supply help to at-risk pet house owners. The organization serves low-income households, seniors, college students, navy, and anybody prone to dropping their beloved pet by supplying monetary assist for important veterinary care.
Youth & Elderly Nonprofits
Voices for Children
Voices for Children has supported the wants and well-being of native youngsters in foster look after greater than 40 years. The organization trains and helps Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers who spend time with youngsters in foster care and champion their wants earlier than a choose.
South Bay Community Services
South Bay Community Services aids youngsters and adults in want within the southern area of San Diego County. The organization affords early childhood training, psychological well being companies, an LGBTQ middle, assets for survivors of home violence, housing assist, and different numerous applications.
ElderHelp
With over 350 volunteers dedicated to serving to older adults dwell independently, ElderHelp coordinates look after seniors and supplies transportation to appointments and social actions, a program matching seniors with inexpensive housing, and different significant companies for our group elders.
Meals on Wheels San Diego County
Meals on Wheels delivers nutritious meals to the houses of San Diego’s senior residents. Volunteers additionally conduct security checks and spend time with meal recipients to make sure the bodily and psychological well-being of native residents 60 years and older.
Just in Time For Foster Youth
Just in Time supplies 18 to 26 12 months olds transitioning out of foster care with emergency wants, steady housing, significant employment, dependable transportation, and plenty of extra companies. The long-term assist provides stability to young adults, serving to them develop confidence, functionality, and connectedness.
Challenged Athletes Foundation
The Challenged Athletes Foundation strives to offer assets for athletes with bodily disabilities. The organization welcomes athletes concerned in sports activities in any respect ranges, funding gear simply as prosthetics, sport wheelchairs, and different adaptive tech.
Arts & Culture Nonprofits
San Diego Symphony
Founded in 1910, the San Diego Symphony performs greater than 140 live shows annually along with bringing music applications to native elementary, center, and highschool college students. The organization hosts a paid summer season internship program for youngsters, serving to them develop management and public talking abilities.
Resounding Joy
Resounding Joy makes use of music remedy to assist these affected by melancholy, PTSD, mind accidents, and different issues. The organization offers programs particularly tailor-made to youngsters, navy service members, and senior residents, together with songwriting workshops and music classes.
Balboa Park Cultural Partnership
Balboa Park’s collaborative brings collectively 25 members of its artwork, science, and cultural organizations—together with museums, performing arts teams, cultural facilities, gardens, and the San Diego Zoo—to extend the park’s environmental sustainability and enhance customer expertise.
Las Patronas
Since 1946, this devoted crew of volunteers has partnered with nonprofits throughout San Diego County to fundraise and supply grants for key group companies that profit well being, training, and cultural arts. Las Patronas generates funds by initiatives and occasions reminiscent of their annual Jewel Ball—a social, philanthropic custom in San Diego.
Environmental Conservation Nonprofits
Surfrider Foundation
Surfrider San Diego is an environmental activism group centered on the safety of native seashores and coastal habitats. This organization combats plastic waste and ocean air pollution by analysis, seaside cleanups, and efforts to go nationwide and native laws.
Wildcoast
This worldwide crew strives to preserve Earth’s ecosystems and deal with local weather change. Wildcoast manages protected areas, advocates for conservation insurance policies, promotes ocean wildlife training, and works to guard coastal communities throughout Mexico, Cuba, and the US.
Berry Good Food Foundation
Founded with a give attention to regional, sustainable meals programs, the Berry Good Food Foundation has constructed a community of farmers, cooks, and scientists to enhance native access to wholesome meals, scale back meals insecurity, and supply vitamin training for San Diegans.
Living Coast Discovery Center
Located in Chula Vista, the Living Coast Discovery Center advocates for native wildlife by training and conservation efforts. The Discovery Center affords reveals highlighting San Diego–space sea creatures, birds, and bugs and hosts group occasions, native cleanups, and different tasks.
