Marriage Equality USA

Founded in 1996, Marriage Equality USA (MEUSA) is the nation’s oldest organization dedicated to building equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community through civil marriage equality in every state and at the federal level. With over 40,000 members as well as volunteer leaders and partner organizations in all 50 states, it is the largest volunteer-driven, grassroots organization of its kind engaged in education, training, organizing, action, and coalition building to win equal marriage rights and protections for LGBTQ couples and their families. MEUSA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Freedom to Marry

Freedom to Marry is the campaign to win marriage nationwide.

Working Freedom to Marry’s Roadmap to Victory national strategy, our movement has built a critical mass of states and a critical mass of public support to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to bring the country to national resolution – as soon as next year. Freedom to Marry partners with individuals and organizations across the country to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage and the protections, responsibilities, and commitment that marriage brings.

Homeless Garden Project

The Homeless Garden Project provides job training, transitional employment and support services to people who are homeless. HGP's vibrant education and volunteer program for the broad community blends formal, experiential and service-learning. The programs take place in our 3-acre organic farm and related enterprises.

We value:

The capacity of every individual for growth and renewal.
The joy that comes from growing and sharing healthy food.
The well-being created by vibrant social and natural ecosystems.

Trainees in the program:

Take advantage of transitional employment in the safety of a structured environment
Learn basic life skills required for employment
Learn a variety of other marketable skills
Share four hot meals a week with staff, other trainees and volunteers
Give to the community by growing food for other programs that serve homeless and needy populations
Grow organic fruit, vegetables and flowers for the SC community through the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program
Educate students and other groups who use the garden
Create value-added products from farm grown materials which are sold at the Women's Organic Flower Enterprise Store

The minimum donation for Homeless Garden Project is $10. I won't be blogging on December 11.

PLDGIT.com

HELP THE BENGALS SACK PEDIATRIC CANCER
Pledge to donate per sack this season!

Three months ago I found out my daughter has neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer. Kids always look up to their parents, but in just a matter of a week that all reversed for me. I can honestly say I truly look up to my daughter now. In the four years of life she has had, she has been through way more than I have in 24. Her courage, strength, and high spirits through it all is nothing short of inspirational.

So I am dedicating my season to her and inspiring others like she has inspired me. Please join our team by pledging to donate for every sack our defense has this season. You'll receive weekly updates with the amount of your donation based on our performance. Proceeds benefit Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and will have all them kids sayin "Who Dey!"

Ozarks Food Harvest

About Ozarks Food Harvest

Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving more than 200 hunger-relief organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank reaches nearly 30,000 individuals weekly and distributes more than 15 million pounds of food annually. OFH celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2013 and received its second consecutive Four-Star Charity Navigator rating the same year. The Food Bank has been named the Small Business of the Year by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the Nonprofit of the Year by the Springfield Business Journal. Its facility, the O’Reilly Center for Hunger Relief, has also received “superior” AIB International food safety certifications.

Today I made a two day donation of  $10 to Ozarks Food Harvest. I won't be blogging on December 8th.

Kids Making It. ORG

One application, one entry, good forever: When teens first enter KMI, we tell them that we are with them forever.

Kids Making It is a nationally recognized youth entrepreneurship program, teaching woodworking and vocational skills to at-risk youth from age 8 into young adulthood.  Our goal is for our KMI youth to stay out of trouble, stay in school, graduate and go on to the workforce or college, thereby maturing into successful adults.  Through the design/build process, KMI youth learn patience, pride, perseverance, confidence, teamwork and self-esteem, building character and learning the truth of actions and consequences.

Plan International USA

Plan started in 1937, when a journalist and a refugee worker decided they wanted to do more for children affected by the Spanish Civil War. Today, we are working side by side with communities in 50 countries to improve the lives of more than 50 million children.

With the help of our supporters, Plan has grown into one of the oldest, widest-reaching, and most effective international development organizations.