One great part of the holiday season is not just the beautiful lights the NOVA area brings and not always receiving gifts. One of the greatest things is being able to give back to ones in need or ones that can use some holiday cheer. The Northern Virginia area has many local charities’ that are in need for certain items. Even though you may not be able to purchase items to donate, you probably have some items lying around that would be appreciated.
As the year ends and cold begins you may find you have a lot of items you accumulated over the last four seasons. What to do with these items that you may or may not use over the course of next year? Sure you can wrap them up for White Elephant to give away, but how about starting a pile to give to NOVA Charities? Grab your spouse, kids and anyone around that could use a good cleaning. To begin have a designated area and start a pile. Don’t worry about sorting till the end of cleaning. Organize and see what you can spare to get rid of. Look in the drawers, look in the closets, garage and under the couch. You never know what you may have lying around. An old book, pair of shoes or five extra tubes of toothpaste are perfect items to give. Look in your pantry; do you see 6 cans of corn? Spare one or two will do! Have a years’ worth of old magazines? I’m sure someone would like to read it or a child would like to use a pair of scissors too.
Once you have all the items compiled take some extra boxes or bag’s and mark each with the charity you want to give to. Here are some in the Fairfax County area and what they are looking for:
- Ecumenical Council Helping Others (ECHO) 7205 Old Keene Mill Rd., Springfield
703-569-9160
ECHO Inc. seeks donations of food, housewares, bedding, clothing, small appliances, children’s books and toys. No furniture, please.
- Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, Mental Health Services14150 Parkeast Cir., Suite 200, Chantilly.
703-481-4142
Contact Carol Taylor.
Outer clothing, gift certificates for grocery and retail stores, toys, sports equipment and games, craft activities, food baskets and toiletries. Donations will be accepted through Dec. 14.
Outer clothing, gift certificates for grocery and retail stores, toys, sports equipment and games, craft activities, food baskets and toiletries. Donations will be accepted through Dec. 14.
- Food for Others Food can be brought to the warehouse at 2938 Prosperity Ave., Fairfax, between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.
703-207-9173
Food for Others, Northern Virginia’s largest provider of emergency food services, requests donations of nonperishable food. Items most needed include peanut butter, tuna fish, canned fruit, rice, macaroni and cheese, pasta, cereal, soups, canned vegetables, spaghetti sauce, meat chili with beans, dried beans and beef stew. For holiday assistance in December, frozen turkeys, stuffing and cranberry sauce are especially welcome.
- Herndon-Reston FISH
703-471-9024
Donations of nonperishable food items, toys, gifts and clothing for the needy will be collected at United Christian Parish, 2222 Colts Neck Rd., Reston, Dec. 18-20.
- Lamb Center
703-691-3178
This daytime drop-in center for the homeless needs men’s and children’s winter coats, hats, gloves, blankets and sleeping bags. Also needed are diapers, laundry detergent, coffee, creamer, powdered drink mixes, paper towels, paper plates, disposable utensils, soap, shampoo and monetary donations. Donations may be dropped off between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays at 3220 Old Lee Hwy., Fairfax. For more information, contact Steve Schlossberg or Barbara D’Annibale.
- Prevent a Litter Coalition (PaLC)
703-818-8009
PaLC advocates responsible pet ownership by promoting spaying and neutering. The group, made up entirely of volunteers, needs a desktop copier and cartridges, a black and white laser printer and cartridges, a Healthy Back office chair, a fax machine that uses plain paper, an executive desk, a computer credenza, a HON four-drawer Grey Letter filing cabinet, frequent flier miles and six copies of the American Bar Association’s “Guidebook for Directors of Nonprofit Corporations. The organization’s mailing address is P.O. Box 9294, Reston, Va. 20195.
- Shelter House
703-538-6457
Shelter House, a nonprofit shelter for homeless families in Fairfax County, provides crisis intervention, temporary housing, training, counseling and programs to promote self-sufficiency. It is looking for donations of dishes, pots, pans, kitchen appliances, blankets, cold medicines, humidifiers and pillows. Volunteers are sought to work at the front desk. Contact Suzanne Nordfelt.
Even if the items may not listed include them with the organization that seems appropriate. Include your children to be a part of the giving. It is a great way to show them how lucky they are and to be more appreciative of what they have and how important it is to give. Isn't that season is all about!
If you have time, a lot of these non-profits also need volunteers to get packages together, to help in sorting, and distributing items to the needy. This is another great way to get the family involved in spreading even more holiday cheer.
And I end today with a quote from Henry Drummond, “There is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving.”
Happy Holidays!
Earle Whitmore
Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.
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Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.
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