How to support local nonprofits and neighbors this holiday season

‘Tis the season for charity, as year-end giving campaigns and holiday donation drives ramp up.

This year, with Thanksgiving and Christmas on the horizon, two dozen local nonprofits have listed what they need to serve their clients this holiday season.

Contribution opportunities include providing essentials to people in affordable housing, transitional housing and recovery programs, supporting the arts, feeding people and animals and helping nonprofits provide STEM programming and assist job-seeking clients.

The lists, republished with permission of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce after originally appearing in the Chamber’s Arlingtonian newsletter, are below.

AHC Inc.

• Assemble holiday gift bags filled with fun items such as fuzzy socks, craft supplies and a gift card for teens and senior citizens in AHC’s programs.
• Donate education tools for AHC’s youth. Purchase gifts from AmazonSmile through AHC Inc.’s Wish List.

Animal Welfare League of Arlington 

• Donate food and supplies from our Chewy Wish list so pets and their families get the resources they deserve to stay together.
• Donate items from our Amazon Wish list to give shelter animals the care they need or even a special surprise this holiday season.

Arlington Arts Center

• Donate two foldable wheelchairs for visitors who may need assistance during their visit.
• Donate painting supplies for gallery walls (roller covers, painters tape and drop cloths).

Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC)

• Register online to organize a food drive to help AFAC collect food for Arlington families struggling against hunger. AFAC will provide boxes and will pick up the donated food.

Arlington Free Clinic

• Donate a $25 Target gift card so that patients who are parents can buy holiday presents.
• Donate lotion and hand cream for patients who visit during the cold, dry months.

Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing 

• Donate household supplies, such as toiletries, for our Household Essential Pantry.
• Donate winter clothing accessories for Holiday Seasonal Drive, such as children’s face masks, gloves, scarves and hats.

Arlington Thrive

• Empower and celebrate an Arlington case manager or social worker by donating a gift — such as a gift card, office supplies, an experience or an accessory — for their holiday surprise care package.

Aspire! Afterschool Learning

• Donate an Amazon gift card in any amount for student program needs and family support.
• Donate an item from Aspire!’s Amazon Wish list.

Bridges to Independence

• Donate towels for families in need of shower supplies.
• Donate pots and frying pans to families in need of kitchen supplies.

Computer CORE

• Donate used laptop or desktop computers for us to refurbish and give at no-cost to our low-income adult job-seeking clients.
• Donate computer mice and external cameras for recipients to participate in Zoom meetings.

Culpepper Garden

• Donate cloth face masks and personal hygiene products for seniors in our assisted living residence.
• Support Culpepper Garden’s Daffodil Bulb Drive by ordering a reusable bag of 25 select daffodil bulbs to keep or donate back to Culpepper Garden.

ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia

• Assist our move from the Courthouse area to National Landing in January 2022.
• Donate a SmartBoard interactive display to use in our new accessible meeting room at our new location.

Jennifer Bush-Lawson Foundation (JBLF)

• Check out JBLF’s Amazon Wish list and help elevate the lives of low-income moms this holiday season.

National Capital Treatment & Recovery (formerly Phoenix House Mid-Atlantic)

• Donate socks or winter gloves to an adult struggling with substance use disorder.
• Donate travel-size items for hygiene kits (such as toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant and shampoo) for an adult struggling with substance use disorder.

New Hope Housing (NHH)

• View NHH’s Amazon Wish list at for items to donate which can serve our guests at the Residential Program Center (RPC).
• Donate gift cards from Giant, Safeway, Walmart or Target in $25 increments. These make great welcome home gifts for our guests who move out of RPC and into their own place.

Operation Renewed Hope Foundation

• Donate new bath towel sets: one large towel, one hand towel and one or two washcloths.
• Donate a bagless vacuum cleaner.

PathForward

• Donate a new twin-size bed bundle, such as sheets and a blanket, to an adult seeking warmth this winter at our Homeless Services Center.
• Donate Glucerna Protein Shakes to an adult managing their health and wellness in our Medical Program.

Restoration Immigration Legal Aid 

• Donate Walmart gift cards for asylum seekers and vulnerable immigrant children to buy food and holiday gifts for their families.
• Donate essential hygiene items for the most vulnerable immigrants in our area.

Rosie Riveters

• Donate a space where Rosie Riveters can hold paid and free after-school and weekend STEM programs.

RPSVA’s Arlington Peers Helping Peers in Recovery

• Donate winter gear (such as hats, heavy socks, gloves, blankets and sleeping bags) for homeless adults.
• Donate snacks and bottled water for homeless adults.

The Clothesline for Arlington Kids

• Prepare a student for winter weather. Donate new winter coats or lightly used coats in excellent condition. Particular need for adult sizes for teens.
• Put a smile on a kid’s face. Donate new sneakers.

Wreaths Across America

• Sponsor a veteran’s wreath to be placed on the headstone of an American hero laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery this National Wreaths Across America Day (Saturday, Dec. 18). Each $15 handmade, live balsam wreath is placed by a volunteer and sponsored by an individual.